Daily Times

BEIJING: China is strongly dissatisfied with remarks by a US State Department spokesperson, who spoke out against the Dominican Republic’s decision to sever “diplomatic relations” with Taiwan.

“We urge the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the commitments made in the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, and not to make irresponsible remarks on ties between China and other countries, or interfere in China’s internal affairs like cross-Strait relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said Friday at a daily press briefing.

He said that China and the United States established diplomatic ties in 1979, with recognition from the U.S. side that there is one China in the world and that the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, which has been written in the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques.

“Why would the U.S. obstruct other countries to recognize the one-China principle or the normalization of ties with the People’s Republic of China?” Lu said.

China and the Dominican Republic signed a joint communique in Beijing on the establishment of diplomatic relations on May 1, and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio said at a senate hearing that “perhaps Paraguay might be next.” Last year, China and Panama established diplomatic relations.

“This has proved once and again that the one-China principle has gained worldwide acknowledgment and support, and it is an irreversible trend which meets the aspiration of the people,” Lu said.

He added that China stood ready to develop friendly ties and promote cooperation with all countries around the world on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence and the one-China principle.

Trade dispute:

Presidents from 10 Midwest states farm bureaus have sent a letter to US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, urging the government to end its trade disputes with China, according to a news release by Nebraska Farm Bureau on Wednesday.

In the letter, the presidents said they collectively represented over 1.3 million member families, and they understood that international market was critical to their economic survival.

Noting that agricultural trade between China and the 10 states amounted to 4.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, the letter said that these farm states “are worried about the potential consequences of a trade war with China.”

In response to US trade offensives against China earlier this year, China announced a list of U.S. imports that could face hefty tariffs should Washington proceed with its unilateral trade moves against China.

Agricultural products such as soybeans, fruits, and nuts are among the items targeted by China.

The letter also directly addressed the proposed plan by U.S. government to provide monetary compensation to farmers and ranchers who may be hurt by retaliatory tariffs, saying “our farm and ranch families prefer access to markets, not checks from the federal government in lieu of trade opportunities.”

The letter was signed by state farm bureau presidents from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Published in Daily Times, May 19^th 2018.