US angers China by opening de facto embassy in Taiwan

Taiwan is considered as a renegade self-rule province by China and after the United States opened a de facto embassy there, China launched its protest. China considered it a violation of the One China principle according to Geng Shuang, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman. He further asserted that opening an embassy in Taiwan jeopardizes the US-China relations and it is seen as an interference by China into its internal affairs. China wants US to abide by its pledge and correct the mistake of opening an embassy in Taiwan.  

The de facto embassy, also called the American Institute in Taiwan, was opened on Tuesday morning in a ceremony that included Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan, and major US diplomats. The Embassy is a five-story building that cost $255 million to build and described by Marie Royce, the Assistant US Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, as more than just brick and mortar. She further stated the embassy is a tangible symbol of the strong ties between US and Taiwan.  

However, the United States, like most of the other countries of the world, agree to the One China Policy and considers Taiwan to be a province of China. Previously, the US maintained diplomatic relations only with Beijing. On the other hand, Taiwan has been a key ally of the United States in East Asia. Under the presidency of Trump, unofficial ties with Taiwan have been strengthened. Taiwanese President Tsai stated that both Taiwan and the US are free democracies and he deemed it as the responsibility of Taiwan to work with the United States to protect its values. Under Taiwan Relations Act, the United States has been selling weapons to Taiwan for self-defense despite fierce opposition by China. The Trump administration also angered China by selling submarine technology to Taiwan in the past few months. The US has also drafted a Taiwan Travel Act to facilitate travel between the United States and Taiwan. Such measures show that the United States is inclining towards accepting Taiwan as a separate country and one that is not merely a province of China.