The State Department on Saturday urged China to end its escalation of tensions with Taiwan.
“We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan,” the department’s statement read, according to Reuters.
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The message comes after the United States was caught in the middle of a diplomatic conflict between Taiwan and China earlier this month. Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te stayed overnight in New York before traveling to Paraguay. When that stop went off without a hitch, he made a second stop on his return, in San Francisco.
Visits by Taiwanese officials are contentious because the United States recognizes the People’s Republic of China and not Taiwan, though the U.S. maintains robust unofficial ties to the country. Beijing considers Taiwan to be a renegade province.
A spokesperson for the department went on to confirm that it is monitoring the island republic closely.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the State Department for comment.
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Meanwhile, President Joe Biden is fresh from a trilateral summit at Camp David with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol. It was the fourth time the three met in the last 14 months.
Following the meeting, the White House issued a readout that said in part: “The leaders expressed concern about the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) recent dangerous behavior in the South China Sea to assert its unlawful maritime claims. They also reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
