Amid the simmering US-China tensions due to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, Pakistan, an all-weather "friend" of Beijing has expressed its support for 'One-China' policy.
This comes as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is second in line to the Oval Office after the US vice-president, visited Taiwan and reaffirmed her country's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's democracy.
This has irked China as the country believes that it is a violation of the 'One-China' policy however, the US has said that this trip in no way contradicts long-standing United States policy on the self-governed island.
While expressing its support for China's "sovereignty and territorial integrity" in a statement on Wednesday Pakistan foreign office wrote, "Pakistan is deeply concerned over the evolving situation in the Taiwan Strait, which has serious implications for regional peace and stability."
It added that the country stands by 'One-China' policy and has a strong commitment to it. Citing the situation in Eastern Europe and its fallouts, Pakistan Foreign Office said that the world is already witnessing a security situation and destabilising implications for international food and energy security.
"The world cannot afford another crisis that has negative consequences for global peace, security and economy," the Pakistan FO statement maintained.
"Pakistan strongly believes that inter-state relations should be based on mutual respect, non-interference in internal affairs, and peaceful resolution of issues by upholding of principles of UN charter, international law and bilateral agreements," it added.
'One-China' policy is the diplomatic acknowledgement of China's position that there is only one Chinese government. Under the policy, the US recognises and has formal ties with China rather than the island of Taiwan, which China sees as a breakaway province to be reunified with the mainland one day.
Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan came to an end on Wednesday as she departed from the self-ruled island after a short and gripping trip that upped the ante in the Taiwan Strait.
China, meanwhile, has said that Pelosi's Taiwan visit was a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the joint communique signed between the two countries. It had also announced live firing as part of its military operations near Taiwan in response to Pelosi's visit.
House Speaker Pelosi issued a statement in which she described her high-stakes trip to Taipei as a "strong statement that America stands with Taiwan."
She said that visit is part of broader travels in the Indo-Pacific, focused on security, prosperity and governance - on which Taiwan is a global leader.
The US House Speaker said Taiwan is a very special place and added that America's solidarity with the people of Taiwan is more important today than ever. "Our congressional delegation's visit should be seen as a strong statement that America stands with Taiwan," Pelosi said in the statement. "We came to Taiwan to listen to, learn from and show our support for the people of Taiwan, who have built a thriving democracy that stands as one of the freest and most open in the world."\
"Throughout our visit, we highlighted Taiwan's many successes on those three important priorities. On security: we reaffirmed Congress' ongoing commitment to helping Taiwan defend its freedom in the face of aggression. On economy: we conveyed how our CHIPS and Science Act will go a long way to strengthening both our economies, as well as expressed our support for a 21st Century trade framework. On governance: we congratulated them on their robust response to the pandemic, one of the most successful in the world."
She said that the US will continue to work together on its priorities, including collaborating to combat the climate crisis, which is an imperative for our mutual security, economic growth and to honor our responsibility to future generations.
US has said this trip in no way contradicts longstanding United States policy on the self-governed island. China, meanwhile, has said Pelosi's Taiwan visit was a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the joint communique signed between the two countries.
In a statement, Pelosi also slammed China for preventing Taiwan from participating in world forums.
"Sadly, Taiwan has been prevented from participating in global meetings, most recently the World Health Organization, because of objections by the Chinese Communist Party. While they may prevent Taiwan from sending its leaders to global forums, they cannot prevent world leaders or anyone from travelling to Taiwan to pay respect to its flourishing Democracy, to highlight its many successes and to reaffirm our commitment to continued collaboration," she said.
During her brief Taipei visit, the US delegation held two bilateral meetings with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.
They also had an interparliamentary meeting with the Vice President of the Legislative Yuan Tsai Chi-chang and leaders of other parties in the Parliament. Pelosi described these meetings as "very positive and productive."
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