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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has raised concerns over Beijing's coercion against Taiwan during a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Focus Taiwan reported, citing the US Department of State.
According to Focus Taiwan, Rubio emphasized the United States' "commitment to our allies in the region and serious concern over China's coercive actions against Taiwan and in the South China Sea," said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce in a readout following the phone call on Friday (Washington time). Bruce also quoted Rubio as stating that the US will pursue a relationship with Beijing that "advances US interests and puts the American people first." This was Rubio's first phone call as Secretary of State with Wang, who is also the director of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee's Foreign Affairs Commission. While reaffirming America's commitment to its allies, Focus Taiwan cited a report by Politico on Friday, which said Rubio had issued an order halting most existing US foreign aid for 90 days, pending a review by the Secretary of State, except for military funds allocated to Israel and Egypt. The report cited several incumbent and former State Department officials expressing concern that the order might affect US aid to Taiwan, Ukraine, and other partners. As of press time, the State Department had not responded to CNA's request for comment on the matter. Following the call, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a separate readout quoting Wang as urging Washington to handle the Taiwan issue "with prudence" and stressing that Beijing "will never allow Taiwan to be separated from China," Focus Taiwan reported. Focus Taiwan also noted that the readout included Rubio's remarks that the US does not support Taiwanese independence and called for a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan issue, but this statement was not included in the US version of the readout. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued a press release on Saturday (Taipei time) stating that it "welcomed" Rubio's comments on Beijing's intimidation of Taiwan but opposed the "false statements" from the Chinese side. Citing MOFA, Focus Taiwan reported that Taiwan and "the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other," rejecting Wang's claim that Taiwan "has been an integral part of Chinese territory since ancient times." (ANI)
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