US to hold trade talks with Taiwan

Hualien (Taiwan): The US government on Thursday announced trade talks with Taiwan in a sign of support for the island democracy China claims as its own territory, prompting a warning by Beijing that it will take action if necessary to "safeguard its sovereignty." The announcement comes after Beijing fired missiles into the sea to intimidate Taiwan after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this month became the highest-ranking US official to visit the island in 25 years.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's government criticised the planned talks as a violation of its stance that Taiwan has no right to foreign relations. It warned Washington not to encourage the island to try to make its de facto independence permanent, a step Beijing says would lead to war. "China firmly opposes this," said ministry of commerce spokeswoman Shu Jueting. She called on Washington to "fully respect China's core interests." Also Thursday, Taiwan's military held a drill with missiles and cannon simulating a response to a Chinese missile attack.
President Joe Biden's coordinator for the Indo-Pacific region, Kurt Campbell, said last week trade talks would "deepen our ties with Taiwan" but stressed policy wasn't changing. The US has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but maintains extensive informal ties.