US moves on Tibet, Taiwan anger China
China yesterday accused the United States of seeking to destabilise Tibet, after the Trump administration appointed a senior human rights official as special coordinator for Tibetan issues.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday that Robert Destro, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, would assume the additional post, which has been vacant since 2017.
China has consistently refused to deal with the US coordinator, seeing it as interference in its internal affairs.
The appointment comes at a time when US-China relations have sunk to the lowest point in decades over a range of issues, including trade, Taiwan, human rights, the South China Sea and the coronavirus.
Meanwhile Beijing said yesterday accused Washington of seriously undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait after a US Navy destroyer sailed through the waters amid escalating tensions between Beijing and Taipei.
China considers Taiwan a wayward province that needs to be reunited with the mainland, by force if needed. The US, on the other hand, has stepped up support, including high-tech military equipment and fighter jets, for the island recently to support what it considers an important democratic outpost.
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