Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office

In response to the claims made by Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), that Taiwan needs a “hornet’s nest” of drones to help deter conflict and provide security, and that Greene and Lin Chia-lung, head of Taiwan’s so-called foreign affairs authorities, invited representatives from several of Taiwan’s so-called “diplomatic allies” to reaffirm their “commitments” to the island, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday that Greene’s remarks contradicted US President Donald Trump’s stated position, threatened cross-Straits stability, and could push China-US ties in a highly dangerous direction.

Chen said that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations and was one of the key topics discussed during the China-US summit in May. After the summit, President Trump publicly stated that he was not looking to have somebody go independent, was not looking for the US to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war, did not allow “Taiwan independence” separatists to use the US as a backer, and was not readily committing to arms sales to Taiwan. China takes seriously the US side’s political statements and actions. 

According to Chen, for some time, Greene has seemingly treated himself as a “supreme ruler,” repeatedly commenting on the political affairs in Taiwan and attempting to suppress political forces on the island that oppose “Taiwan independence” and seek to maintain peace across the Taiwan Straits. 

Greene has repeatedly stirred up tensions in the Straits, supported the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in pursuing “independence” provocations, deliberately distorted the so-called “status quo” across the Straits, and promoted the fallacy of “unconditional dialogue” to provide an excuse for the “Taiwan independence” agenda, Chen said. 

Chen said that Greene’s promotion of concepts such as a “porcupine” strategy and a “drone hive” was aimed at encouraging Taiwan’s military buildup and turning the island into a powder keg and an ammunition depot. 

Greene’s remarks and actions run counter to the serious statements made by President Trump, undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, and attempt to push China-US relations and cross-Straits relations in a highly dangerous direction. The US should abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, and require relevant institutions and personnel to stop spreading erroneous remarks, stop stirring up tensions and interfering in the region, stop forming blocs to support “Taiwan independence,” and stop sending wrong signals to separatist forces seeking “Taiwan independence,” Chen said. 

Global Times