Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang condemned the Taiwanese political party Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for seeking "Taiwan independence" during the 2021 annual meeting of Alliance for China's Peaceful Reunification (ACPR) in San Francisco, Chinese state media reported on Sunday.
In the speech, Qin's also blamed the US saying it has been "manipulating the Taiwan question in an attempt to use it as leverage to shadow and control the Chinese mainland", Global Times reported.
Qin's speech came on the day when Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a phone conversation.
The talks between the two was a preparation from both sides for a virtual meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, which is scheduled on November 16.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed concerns over China's approach to Taiwan to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also calling for measures to ensure global energy supply, ahead of the upcoming talks between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In the statement, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a Saturday (local time) said that Blinken urged Beijing to engage in dialogue to resolve the Taiwan issue peacefully.
At times, Biden's firm line on China over human rights abuses and other practices has complicated his administration's climate efforts. Disputes over commitments to tackle climate change are the latest flashpoint in tensions between the US and China.
Biden, in recent days, has rebuked China, saying President Xi Jinping's decision to skip a United Nations climate summit was a "big mistake" because it would diminish Beijing's influence. China subsequently hit back at America over the criticism.
Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.
Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing.
China has also threatened that "Taiwan's independence" means war. On June 1, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to complete reunification with self-ruled Taiwan and vowed to smash any attempts at formal independence for the island.
( With inputs from ANI )
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