China urges US to tread carefully on Taiwan

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the U.S. to handle ​matters related to Taiwan with "the utmost caution", during ‌a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday, Wang's ministry said on Wednesday.

"A slight move on the Taiwan issue ​could affect the whole situation," Wang said, adding ​that China and the U.S. should work to ⁠manage all kinds of risks, according to an ​official Chinese summary of the phone conversation.

The U.S. State Department ​did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The call followed a mid-May summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. ​President Donald Trump in Beijing, where Xi told Trump ​that mishandling the countries' disagreements over Taiwan could push China-U.S. relations ‌into ⁠an "extremely dangerous place".

Beijing claims the democratically governed island as its own territory and refuses to rule out military force to gain control of it. Taipei rejects Beijing's ​claims, and the ​United States ⁠is bound by law to provide Taipei with the means to defend itself.

Wang said ​the U.S. and China should work to ​build ⁠a "constructive, strategically stable relationship".

"Both sides should eliminate disruptions, overcome obstacles, and continue firmly along this correct direction," Wang said.
The ⁠Chinese ​foreign ministry said Wang and Rubio ​agreed to "continue maintaining communication in a flexible manner".

-Reuters