Beijing/Washington, 10 January 2024 (dpa/MIA) - At a meeting of military representatives, China has called on the United States to stop arming Taiwan.

The People's Republic is not prepared to compromise on the Taiwan issue, the Ministry of Defence in Beijing announced on Wednesday.

The representatives of the defence ministries of both sides met on Monday and Tuesday in Washington - just a few days before the presidential and parliamentary elections in Taiwan on Saturday.

Taiwan, with a population of more than 23 million, has had an independent government since 1949 and has developed into a vibrant democracy. However, China's leadership sees Taiwan as an inseparable part of the People's Republic and is striving for reunification, by force if necessary.

Whoever forms the next government in the island republic off the south-eastern coast of the Chinese mainland could also have a significant influence on the relationship between Washington and Beijing. US support for Taiwan is a key point of contention between the two nuclear powers.

Beijing and Washington's defence policymakers only only resumed direct communication a few months ago. The exchange was frozen under former Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu after the US mposed sanctions on China.

According to the statement from the ministry in Beijing, while in Washington China expressed its willingness to "develop healthy and stable relations between the armed forces."

The US emphasized that the channels of communication between the two sides should be kept open so that the bilateral competition does not drift into conflict.

The US side also addressed what it calls Chinese "harassment" of Philippine ships. China and the Philippines are in dispute over reefs in the South China Sea.

MIA file photo