‘Descent into hell is easy’: Chinese state media warns growing US-Taiwan ties could lead to war
RT.com
2 Mar, 2018
Beijing has issued an ominous warning to Taiwan over a pending US law that would strengthen ties between Washington and the island nation, with Chinese state media even suggesting it could lead to an open conflict.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said that the passage of the Taiwan Travel Act was a direct affront to Beijing’s ‘One China’ principle, which does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state and calls for eventual unification with the mainland.
“We also sternly warn Taiwan: do not rely on foreigners to build yourselves up, or it will only draw the fire upon you,” the government bureau said in a short statement.
The US legislation, which only needs President Donald Trump’s signature to become law, will allow US officials to travel to Taiwan to meet with their Taiwanese counterparts, permit top Taiwanese officials to visit the US and meet US officials, and encourage closer economic ties between the two countries. China’s Foreign Ministry “resolutely opposes” the US legislation and has already lodged a formal complaint with Washington.
Chinese state media predicted that the bill, if signed into law, could embolden Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to seek full independence for the island, potentially triggering China’s Anti-Secession Law. Passed in 2005, the legislation allows Beijing to “use force to prevent the island from seceding,” an editorial in the official China Daily warned.
“Since the US is bound by domestic law to act on behalf of the island in that instance, it would only give substance to the observation that the descent into hell is easy,” the editorial added.
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