China tells US it will never compromise on Taiwan as defense talks resume

China told the U.S. that it will “not make any concession or compromise” on the self-governing island nation of Taiwan, as Chinese and American officials held military talks this week for the first time since channels were suspended in 2022.

The Pentagon’s top China official, Michael Chase, concluded two days of talks Tuesday with Chinese Maj. Gen. Song Yanchao, as Taiwan approaches a consequential election day Saturday and tensions in the Indo-Pacific have skyrocketed following Chinese clashes with the Philippines.

Song, China’s deputy director of the Central Military Commission Office for International Military Cooperation, told Chase that Beijing is willing to “develop a sound and stable military-to-military relationship,” according to a readout from from China’s Ministry of Defense.

But Song said the U.S. must take China’s considerations seriously and laid down a hard line on Taiwan, pushing for Washington to stop arming Taipei and supporting its independence.

At the meeting, Song “emphasized that China will not make any concession or compromise on the Taiwan question.”

Chase, the Pentagon’s deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, said the U.S. stands by the One China policy, based on a 1979 law that affirms Taiwan is part of China but allows Washington to commit to informal relations with the island nation, according to a Pentagon readout. He also said the U.S. support for Indo-Pacific allies remains “ironclad.”

The talks come after a high-stakes November meeting between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where the two agreed to restore military communications.

They normalized a relationship that had gone rocky after a Chinese spy balloon flew over the U.S. mainland last February, and China suspended military channels after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) traveled to Taiwan in August 2022.

The Biden-Xi meeting led to Gen. CQ Brown, the chair of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, holding the first high-level military talks with his counterpart last month since China suspended channels.

The two superpower leaders did not make a major breakthrough, however, leaving Indo-Pacific tensions and Taiwan unresolved. At the San Francisco meeting, Xi reportedly told Biden that China will reunify with Taipei, a commitment he has underscored repeatedly, including during his end of year address.

This week, officials also discussed clashes between Chinese naval forces and the U.S.-allied Philippines over disputed areas in the South China Sea. Last year, China assaulted Philippine boats with water cannons and lasers.

Chase “underscored the importance of respect for high seas freedom of navigation,” the Pentagon readout said. He also criticized China for “harassment against lawfully operating Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.”

But China claims nearly the entire South China Sea and says the Philippines violates its territorial sovereignty, despite international arbiters ruling against Chinese claims.

Beijing has also frequently complained of the U.S. forging more military ties with allies across the Indo-Pacific, accusing Washington of escalating tensions with a Cold War mentality.

At this week’s meeting, Song “urged the US side to reduce military presence and provocation in the South China Sea and stop supporting provocative actions,” according to China’s Defense Ministry.