BEIJING - The recently-signed US appropriations bill incorporates the so-called "Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020," which has seriously violated the one-China principle and grossly interfered in China's internal affairs.

The Taiwan question concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is purely China's internal affair and allows no interference by any external forces. Thus, it is not up to the absurd Taiwan-related act or those behind the legislation to offer assurance to Taiwan's future.

It is not up to the absurd Taiwan-related act or those behind the legislation to offer assurance to Taiwan's future

The name of the act is intentionally misleading. On the pretext of "assuring" Taiwan, the real intention of those US politicians behind the act is to seek their own political and economic gains, stir up trouble between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits, and continue their interference in China's internal affairs and thereby contain China's development.

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For starters, the bill said "the United States should conduct regular sales and transfers of defense articles to Taiwan." Yet, instead of assuring Taiwan's security, the purpose of the section is to urge "Taiwan to increase its defense spending," as clearly stated in the act.

Taiwan was reportedly the largest customer of US arms in 2020. The region has spent roughly 11.8 billion US dollars on purchasing US weapons since the beginning of this year, according to media reports, which means that the arms have cost each of Taiwan's residents more than US$500.

Worse, the US arms sales to Taiwan will send wrong signals to separatist forces who are boasting of "Taiwan independence" to resist reunification with a military buildup. Such a move cannot assure Taiwan's security, but will seriously undermine the peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, and push the people on the island into a dangerous situation.

The US arms sales to Taiwan will send wrong signals to separatist forces who are boasting of "Taiwan independence" to resist reunification with a military buildup

Also, though the bill seems to help Taiwan participate in the events of international organizations, it, in fact, cannot assure the "international space" expected by the Taiwan authorities.

Take the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an example. In November, the WHA announced its decision not to include a proposal to make Taiwan an observer in the conference's agenda.

The WHA's rejection of Taiwan-related proposals in recent years has demonstrated that the one-China principle is the consensus of the international community and allows no room for challenge.

The so-called "Taiwan Assurance Act 2020" is the latest episode of China-bashers' unscrupulous smearing, suppression, and sanctions against China.

For years, China hawks in Washington continued to challenge the bottom line of China-US relations on issues concerning China's core interests and major issues such as Tibet, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, dragging bilateral ties into the grimmest situation since four decades ago when diplomatic relations between the two countries were established.

China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has recently said that the China-US bilateral relationship is "no zero-sum game."

"The success of one does not have to entail the other's failure. While China-US cooperation can make great things happen for the two countries and the entire world, China-US confrontation would definitely spell disaster for not only the two countries, but also humanity as a whole," he said.

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The Chinese government is unwaveringly determined to safeguard its national sovereignty, security, and development interests. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the country has previously decided to impose sanctions on relevant US enterprises and individuals involved in arms sales. The US companies concerned include Lockheed Martin, Boeing Defense and Raytheon.

In order to avoid serious damage to China-US relations and the stability of the Taiwan Straits, the US side should stop using the Taiwan question to intervene in China's internal affairs, stop implementing the detrimental clauses in the bills aimed at China, and stop treading further down a dangerous path.