China says 'Taiwan was never a country'; accuses US of sabotaging 'Status quo'

Reiterating its aggressive stand, China said on Sunday that Taiwan has never been a country and accused the United States of attempting to change the status quo of the Taiwan Strait by hollowing out the one-China policy.

Quoting China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi's statement on Taiwan, Ambassador Qin Gang wrote, "Taiwan has never been a country. There is only one China in the world and both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and same China. This has been the status quo of Taiwan since ancient times."

China accused the US of sabotaging the status quo of the Taiwan Strait and cited actions including the "Taiwan Relations Act" and the "Six Assurances" to Taiwan, "which it unilaterally concocted before the three China-U.S. joint communiqués."

"Our suggestion is that the US government revisit and take a serious look at the three China-U.S. joint communiqués so that they will have a clear understanding of what the status quo really is and who is really changing the status quo," Qin Gang tweeted. 

Blinken says China seeking to change status quo with Taiwan

China's sharp retort follows the statement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who had accused China of seeking to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait with missile tests and military drills following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island. 

The top US diplomat said there was no justification for China’s military response, including firing missiles into Japan’s exclusive economic zone. He asserted the US policy toward China and Taiwan hasn’t changed, but that Beijing was taking increasingly provocative action to disrupt the status quo.

Earlier on August 4, China announced that military drills were being conducted in six zones encircling Taiwan by its navy, air force, and other agencies. In addition to its efforts to diplomatically isolate Taiwan, China has long threatened military action in response to the island nation's efforts to strengthen its de facto independence with the backing of key allies like the US.