ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to the ‘One-China’ policy on Wednesday as tensions between Beijing and Washington escalated over United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
China furiously condemned the highest-level US visit to Taiwan in 25 years as Pelosi hailed the self-ruled island as “one of the freest societies in the world” and pledged American solidarity.
Beijing demonstrated its anger with Pelosi’s presence on an island that it says is part of China with a burst of military activity in surrounding waters, summoning the US ambassador in Beijing and halting several agricultural imports from Taiwan.
The ‘One-China’ policy is the diplomatic acknowledgement of China’s stance that there is only one Chinese government. Beijing considers Taiwan, a self-ruled island, an inalienable part of its territory and has not ruled out the possible use of force to “reunify” the country. The One-China policy is a key cornerstone of relations between the US and China also.
“Pakistan reaffirms its strong commitment to ‘One-China’ Policy and firmly supports China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement.
Pakistan said it was “deeply concerned” over the evolving situation in the Taiwan Strait which could have serious implications for regional peace and stability. Islamabad said the world was already reeling from the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, especially when it came to food and energy supplies.
“The world cannot afford another crisis that has negative consequences for global peace, security and economy,” the foreign ministry said.
Islamabad said it believed inter-state relations should be based on mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs and called for the implementation of the principles of the UN charter, international law and bilateral agreements.
The United States has no official diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by American law to provide it with the means to defend itself. China views visits by US officials to Taiwan as sending an encouraging signal to the pro-independence camp on the island.
Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims, saying only the Taiwanese people can decide the island’s future.
