Beijing thinks US is flirting with possibility of Taiwan rejoining UN

If the US was to simultaneously establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Beijing would sever ties with Washington. PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING - China's response was predictable - a strong rebuke - when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced last week that the United States was sending its UN ambassador on a visit to Taiwan, then followed that up by lifting restrictions on its officials' interactions with the self-ruled island.

From Beijing's prism, Washington was flirting with the distinct possibility of Taipei rejoining the United Nations. Why send UN Ambassador Kelly Craft otherwise? It would have been the first such trip since 1968.

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