Beijing says it has “no room for compromise” on sovereignty and territorial integrity
Beijing warned on Monday it would take all necessary measures to defend its territorial integrity, and urged Washington not to “underestimate” the resolve of the Chinese people.
The rebuke came hours after US President Joe Biden vowed to use military force to defend Taiwan if necessary. China considers Taiwan an inalienable part if its territory.
“The Taiwan issue is a purely internal affair for China,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters, adding: “on issues touching on China’s core interests of sovereignty and territorial integrity, China has no room for compromise or concession.”
China has asked the US to “earnestly abide” by the “One China” policy, under which the US and other nations recognize that there is only one China, led by Beijing. The Chinese government will take “resolute actions” to protect its sovereignty and security interests, the ministry spokesman said.
“No one should underestimate the firm resolve, staunch will and strong ability of the Chinese people in defending national sovereignty,” he added.
Earlier on Monday, Joe Biden said Washington could intervene militarily in case of a conflict between China and Taiwan, calling it America’s “commitment.” The president insisted that the US abides by the ‘One China’ policy but that Beijing has “no jurisdiction” that would allow it to “go in” and use force against Taiwan. Biden also criticized China’s increasingly assertive stance on Taiwan by accusing Beijing of “flirting with danger.”
Taiwan has repeatedly accused China of violating its defense zones with military aircraft and warships. Beijing has regularly flexed its military muscles near the island, buzzing it with large aircraft units and sending in military vessels.
The US does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but enjoys close military cooperation with the island, an issue that’s long been a thorn in the side of US-China relations.
Monday marks the first time in about a century that a US president’s first official trip to Asia does not include a visit to China.
Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949, when the remnants of the nationalist government fled the mainland after their defeat in the civil war, but never formally declared independence from China.
BANGKOK, Thailand, May 23 (IPS) – The Asia-Pacific region is at a crossroads today – to further breakdown or breakthrough to a greener, better, safer future.
The Quds Force member was shot five times outside his home in Tehran
Sayyad Khodaei, a colonel in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite foreign operations squad, the Quds Force, has been shot dead by a pair of motorcycle-mounted assassins outside his home on Mojahedin-e Eslam Street in Tehran, Iranian state media reported on Sunday.
Khodaei was shot five times while sitting in his car in broad daylight on the street, which is considered a secure area and located near the Iranian parliament. His body was discovered by his wife, and the Tehran prosecutor quickly appeared on the scene to call for a thorough and rapid police investigation.
The IRGC decried Khodaei’s murder as a “terrorist act” and blamed “elements linked to global arrogance” for the crime, a reference to the US, Israel and their allies. He was described as a “defender of the shrines,” meaning he fought with the Quds Force in Syria and Iraq.
“The sworn enemies of the holy system of the Islamic Republic of Iran once again showed their evil nature with the assassination and martyrdom of one of the members of the IRGC troops,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said following the announcement of Khodaei’s killing.
No one had claimed responsibility for the attack as of Sunday night, and the motive for the slaying is not known. It was the most high-profile killing in Tehran since the murder of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in 2020. Earlier that same year, Quds Force commander Major General Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in a US airstrike at Baghdad Airport that also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq.
While the IRGC and Ministry of Intelligence reportedly arrested members of an Israeli intelligence network on Sunday, releasing a statement claiming the agents “attempted to steal and destroy personal and public property, kidnap and obtain fake confessions through a network of thugs,” no evidence has been produced linking the two incidents. Israel has refused to comment on either matter.
