Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun

The Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests and is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations, Chines Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing on Monday, in response to media inquiry over the latest US National Security Strategy (NSS), which claims that the US does not support any unilateral change to the status quo in the Taiwan Straits. 

Taiwan is China's Taiwan, and an inalienable part of China's territory, and how to resolve the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese people themselves and brooks no external interference, Guo stressed, urging the US to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, honor the commitments made by US leaders, handle the Taiwan question with utmost caution, stop condoning and supporting "Taiwan independence" separatist forces in seeking "independence" by force or resisting reunification by force. 

China's resolve and will to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity are rock-firm and unwavering, the spokesperson stressed.

China has always believed that China and the US stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation, Guo said, noting that mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation are the correct way for China and the US to get along; they are also the only realistic and correct choice.

China is willing to work with the US to promote the stable development of China-US relations while firmly safeguarding its own sovereignty, security, and development interests. 

"We hope the US side will work with China in the same direction, effectively implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen dialogue and cooperation, properly manage differences, and promote the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-US relations, thereby injecting more certainty and stability into the world," Guo said.

Global Times