Rubio clashes with China FM on Taiwan

by Shaun TANDON / Beiyi SEOW

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clashed with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi over Taiwan on Friday, with Donald Trump's top diplomat denouncing Beijing's "coercive" moves.

Rubio, a longtime China hawk, spoke with Wang for the first time by telephone at the end of his first week in office, which he began by forming a united front with US partners in the region.

In the telephone call, Rubio told Wang that the second Trump administration will pursue a relationship with China "that advances US interests and puts the American people first," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.

"The secretary also stressed the United States' commitment to our allies in the region and serious concern over China's coercive actions against Taiwan and in the South China Sea," she said.

ALSO READ: Inside the parade of right-wing world leaders flocking to D.C. for Trump's inauguration

Wang in turn cautioned Rubio over Taiwan, the self-governing democracy which China claims and has not ruled out seizing by force.

"We will never allow Taiwan to be separated from China," Wang told Rubio, adding that Washington "must not betray its promise" to recognize only one China, according to a readout by the Chinese foreign ministry.

Wang voiced hope to Rubio that the former American senator would "play a constructive role for the future of the Chinese and American people, and for world peace and stability," it said.

In their call, Wang told Rubio that the world's top two economies should work to find "the right way to get along in the new era" -- presumably referring to Trump's return to the US presidency.

While Beijing had "no intention of surpassing or replacing anyone," it maintained its "legitimate right to development," he said.

The Chinese minister said the pair should follow the lead of President Xi Jinping and Trump, who appeared to have a cordial telephone call.

- Boosting Taiwan -

The United States is a longtime supporter of Taiwan and its largest supplier of weapons, but does not formally recognize it diplomatically.

In his Senate confirmation hearing last week, Rubio vowed to ramp up support for Taiwan to achieve an "equilibrium" that would discourage China from an invasion.

Rubio suggested at the hearing that China could invade the island by the end of the decade unless the United States makes clear that "the costs of intervening in Taiwan are too high."

Rubio has cast China as the top threat to the United States and has accused the Asian power -- whose economy has skyrocketed in recent decades -- of "cheating" its way toward superpower status.

Rubio met immediately Tuesday after taking office with the foreign ministers of Japan, India and Australia -- the so-called Quad that China charges is an attempt to encircle it.

The four foreign ministers jointly warned against any "unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion," in a clear reference to China.

Rubio also spoke by telephone with his counterparts from the Philippines and, on Friday, Vietnam.

With Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Rubio discussed China's "aggressive behavior in the South China Sea," the State Department said.

China has seen rising friction with Southeast Asian nations, especially the Philippines, as it asserts its claims in the strategic and dispute-rife waterway.