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[차이나워치] US and Taiwan move closer to signing trade deal… China ‘firmly opposed’

[앵커]

The US first signed a trade agreement with Taiwan in 1979, which had cut diplomatic ties with China.

China strongly opposes the US move to formalize relations with Taiwan.

We will connect Beijing.

Reporter Lim Kwang-bin. Give me more details.

[기자]

The United States and Taiwan have signed an agreement for economic and trade cooperation.

This is the first agreement under the ‘US-Taiwan Initiative’ announced by the Biden administration in June last year with the aim of strengthening trade relations with Taiwan.

Although it is not an official free trade agreement (FTA) because it does not deal with issues such as tariffs, it contains content related to simplifying customs work, improving regulations, and reducing logistics time.

Additional negotiations are expected to follow after the first round of negotiations.

The US Trade Representative said, “We look forward to the upcoming negotiations on additional trade areas,” and Taiwan’s Office of Economic and Trade Negotiations emphasized that “it is a great opportunity to develop into a broad FTA.”

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen emphasized that economic development and trade broke new ground immediately after the signing of the agreement.

At the same time, it was expected that trade negotiations with other countries would also gain momentum through this.

On the other hand, China has already strongly opposed the talks, saying it is ‘firmly opposed’.

“The United States must stop all exchanges with Taiwan. It must not sign any agreement with Taiwan that has a sovereign meaning or an official character, and it must not send a false signal to Taiwan’s independent forces in the name of economy and trade. “

[앵커]

The conflict between the United States and China continues over the issue of Taiwan.

A war of nerves between the defense ministers of the two countries is also expected at the Asian Security Forum in Singapore, right?

[기자]

The Asian Security Conference, dubbed the ‘Shangri-La Dialogue’, opens in Singapore today and lasts for three days.

The meeting was attended by a large number of security chiefs from major countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including South Korea, the United States, Japan and China.

Before this meeting, the United States proposed a meeting of defense ministers with China, but China rejected it.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed regret over China’s refusal to hold talks immediately after the US-Japan defense ministers’ meeting in Tokyo yesterday (1st).

“I am concerned that an accident that immediately develops into an uncontrollable situation may occur at any time,” he repeatedly urged China to engage in dialogue.

“Looking at what China is doing in international airspace and at sea, the provocative damage of our aircraft and our allies is very worrying.”

It is interpreted in the light of the recent fact that a reconnaissance plane from the United States and a Chinese fighter jet have flown close to each other over the South China Sea and are participating in a war of nerves.

China, on the other hand, pointed out that the US was instead taking coercive action, refuting Secretary Austin’s talk of “China’s coercive action” and that the US and Japan should strengthen deterrence.

“Regarding the military relationship between the United States and Japan, we have consistently stated that military cooperation between countries should be conducive to regional peace and stability, and should not target a third country or harm its interests. It is not China that is taking coercive action, it is America.”

While the United States and China clash over Taiwan and the South China Sea, there is hope that the two sides will come to a head-on collision by checking each other out at this Shangri-La meeting.

[앵커]

Recently, security around an overpass in downtown Beijing is said to have become quite strict.

What is the reason for the increased safety on the bypass?

[기자]

The bypass with enhanced security is located about 10 kilometers from Tiananmen in central Beijing.

It is called ‘Stungqiao’. It has recently been confirmed that the name tag attached to the side of the bypass has fallen off.

Instead, police and police vehicles were concentrated within a radius of 1 kilometer, and security was tightened.

I went to the scene yesterday and took out my mobile phone to take a picture.

Public safety immediately came and stopped me from taking pictures, and even checked my cell phone photo album to see if there were any pictures I had taken.

If you search for ‘Stungqiao’ in the map search as well as on the portal site, it comes up as non-existent.

Accounts mentioning ‘Stungqiao’ on social media have also been blocked.

On the Shitungqiao Overpass, in October last year, a banner demonstration was held calling for the removal of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Only three days before the 20th Party Congress to determine President Xi’s third consecutive term.

Shitongqiao is located not far from famous universities in China, such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Renmin University.

On the next Sunday, before the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Incident 6.4, analysis emerges that this is a measure to block the possibility of anti-government protests by young generations, including college students.

Recently, an international human rights organization demanded that the Chinese government accept responsibility for the ‘genocide’ and apologize to the bereaved families.

In response, the Chinese Foreign Ministry refuted yesterday (1st) through a briefing, saying, “It has already been completed early,” and “Do not interfere in internal affairs under the pretext of human rights issues.”

[앵커]

China also reacts sensitively to draw attention to the human rights issues of the Xinjiang Uyghurs.

You said you withdrew from the Italian Biennale event because of the exhibition of works that mentioned kidney problems?

[기자]

In Italy, the Venice Biennale International Architecture Exhibition is taking place.

China has also actively promoted participation in the event as it is an architectural event recognized for its authority in the world.

“We want to take this opportunity to think further and encourage Chinese architects to contribute to the development of world architecture.”

However, shortly after the official opening, the Chinese embassy in Italy issued a statement condemning the biennale event.

At the location, the issue of the installation work dealing with the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region camp was taken up.

This work, created by a British architect, shows pictures of the structure of the camp, pictures of the prisoners, and a 30 minute video highlighting the conditions of the camp.

The Chinese embassy argued that the exhibition was fake news based on a large amount of false information, and some Italian media protested, saying it was an opportunity to raise suspicions about Xinjiang again.

In response, the architect refuted that it was based on data collected a long time ago, saying that it was a work that had also received the Pulitzer Prize in 2021.

Meanwhile, in the province of Yunnan, China, Muslims, who are followers of Islam, are protesting fiercely over the demolition of a mosque building that is more than 600 years old.

There was a large-scale protest on the 27th of last month as news spread that the building restored in 2004 in the traditional Islamic style would be replaced by a Chinese style.

Protesters broke pedestals erected to demolish buildings, and clashed with the police who controlled the entrance to the temple.

Although it is known that communication on the site has been cut off and that traffic has been restricted, the local public security has informed the protesters to surrender and surrender before the 6th.

So far, it has been delivered from Beijing.

Yonhap News TV article inquiries and reports: Kakao Talk/Line jebo23

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