The entrance to the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, capital of China. File photo: Xinhua

 
China's Foreign Ministry on Thursday called on the US to revoke the so-called "US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade First Agreement Implementation Act" and stop further negotiations, while blasting the US move as violating the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués.

On Monday, US President Joe Biden signed into law the "act" that reportedly paves the way for further talks on a potential trade agreement with the island of Taiwan, despite repeated calls from Chinese officials for the US to stop the provocative move.

Asked about Biden's signing of the so-called "act," a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that China strongly opposes official interaction of any form between China's Taiwan region and countries that have diplomatic relations with China, which includes negotiating or signing any agreement with implication of sovereignty or of an official nature. 

The spokesperson further pointed out that the US move violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, contravenes the US' own commitment to maintaining only unofficial relations with Taiwan, and sends a wrong message to separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence."

"China is unwavering in its resolve to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We urge the US to change course immediately, revoke the so-called "Act," stop pushing forward the negotiations on the so-called "initiative," and stop going further down the wrong path," the spokesperson said. 

In June, amid media reports that the US and the island of Taiwan would sign the first deal under the so-called "Initiative on 21st Century Trade," talks on which started in August 2022, Chinese officials also slammed the move. Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said that China had made solemn representations with the US many times. 

The US' move adds even more complications to an already extremely tense relationship between China and the US, even as officials from the two countries are seeking to resume official exchanges after an earlier impasse. 

Also on Thursday, Chinese authorities, including the Foreign Ministry and the Commerce Ministry, scathingly criticized the US government's move to ban new US investment in key technology industries in China, and vowed to take necessary measures to safeguard China's interests.

The latest developments came as some US media reports suggested that following China visits by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo may also visit China soon.

While such a visit has not been officially confirmed, provocative US actions such as the investment ban and the so-called trade initiative with the island of Taiwan are not conducive for the two sides to build mutual trust, analysts said.