China warns US to handle Taiwan ‘with utmost caution’ amid conflict fears
China has warned the United States to handle the Taiwan issue “with utmost caution” after a new international security assessment warned that a major conflict over the island could escalate into nuclear confrontation.
Speaking at a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Taiwan remained an internal Chinese matter and accused external powers of interfering.
“The Taiwan issue is China’s internal affair, and resolving it is a matter for the Chinese people themselves, which brooks no external interference,” Mao said.
“Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait requires a clear and unequivocal opposition to ‘Taiwan independence,’” she added.
Her comments followed an assessment by the International Institute for Strategic Studies warning that a large-scale conflict over Taiwan could trigger targeted attacks on communications infrastructure and potentially escalate into a nuclear crisis.
Mao also addressed tensions over rare earth exports after speculation that Beijing could tighten restrictions ahead of schedule despite a temporary trade truce with Washington.
Last year, China and the United States agreed to pause the harshest trade measures, including restrictions on rare-earth mineral exports, until November 10.
However, recent social media posts by the Chinese Embassy in Washington referencing domestic rare-earth regulations sparked concerns among analysts that Beijing was preparing to reimpose restrictions earlier than expected.
Mao rejected those claims, saying the embassy had only shared updates on ongoing trade consultations.
“Both sides should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and maintain the stable development of China-US economic and trade relations,” she said.
Turning to regional security, Mao also reiterated China’s criticism of Western-led alliances in the Indo-Pacific, including the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, made up of the United States, Japan, India and Australia.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
