U.S. urges Beijing to 'engage in meaningful dialogue' with Taiwan

Washington, March 5 (CNA) The U.S. Department of State on Tuesday called for China to cease its pressure campaign against Taiwan and "engage in meaningful dialogue," following a Chinese official's remarks reiterating Beijing's position that the median line in the Taiwan Strait does not exist.

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang (張曉剛) said in Beijing last week that "there exists no Taiwan Strait median line," restating China's sovereignty over Taiwan.

At the time Zhang was answering questions at a press event about American media outlets' "frequent" reports of Chinese military deployments with warships and warplanes in waters around Taiwan and the warplanes' often crossing the median line of the strait.

In response, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said that Beijing's continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait is an indication of its "unilateral attempts to change the status quo."

The spokesperson said the United States has "consistently urged restraint and no change to the status quo," a policy that has preserved peace in the region for decades and is a matter of global concern.

The U.S. urges Beijing "to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan."

Instead, Beijing should engage in "meaningful dialogue with Taiwan," as the U.S. believes cross-strait differences must be resolved peacefully, the spokesperson said.

Taiwan's Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said last Friday that the median line was a tacit agreement observed by Taiwan and China for many years.

Denying the existence of the line eliminates the possibility of negotiations and escalates pressure in the region, he said.

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