White House pushes back on China amid propaganda in wake of Afghanistan's collapse

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The White House Tuesday pushed back against a Chinese propaganda campaign attacking the United States and Taiwan after the collapse of Afghanistan – with the Biden administration condemning the communist regime for taking advantage of the tragedy and doubling down on the its support for Taiwan.

The U.S. statement was in response to Chinese propaganda outlets and the country's official international propaganda mouthpiece, which seized on President Biden's handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan to intimidate Taiwan. The Chinese government also demanded that the U.S. cease "official contacts & military ties with Taiwan," including weapons sales. 

"We have an abiding interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," a senior Biden administration official told Fox News. "We consider this central to the security and stability of the broader Indo-Pacific region. Events elsewhere in the world are not going to change this enduring interest."

The official added: "It’s also unfortunate that PRC’s state media is exploiting the human suffering in Afghanistan to take shots at the United States. That’s not what responsible powers do."

U.S. soldiers stand guard along a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. On Monday, the U.S. military and officials focus was on Kabul’s airport, where thousands of Afghans trapped by the sudden Taliban takeover rushed the tarmac and clung to U.S. military planes deployed to fly out staffers of the U.S. Embassy, which shut down Sunday, and others.  (AP Photo/Shekib Rahmani)

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The aggressive statements by China come as President Biden remains at Camp David amid the hurried evacuation from Afghanistan by the American personnel and allies who were lucky enough to make it to the Kabul airport before the Taliban took over the city. 

"How Washington abandoned the Kabul regime particularly shocked some in Asia, including the island of Taiwan," the Chinese state outlet Global Times wrote Monday. "The situation in Afghanistan suddenly saw a radical change after the country was abandoned by the US. And Washington just left despite the worsening situation in Kabul. Is this some kind of omen of Taiwan's future fate?"

"From what happened in Afghanistan, [Taiwanese authorities] should perceive that once a war breaks out in the Straits, the island's defense will collapse in hours and the US military won't come to help," the Global Times added. 

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On Tuesday the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a call for "the US to stop official contacts & military ties with Taiwan, stop arms sales to Taiwan, and reject the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and their separatist activities."

The ministry also warned that "we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures in response to foreign interference" in Taiwan.

"No one should underestimate the strong determination, firm will & strong capability of the Chinese people," it added. 

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also said that the U.S. is standing by its longstanding commitments to Taiwan when asked about the Chinese propaganda campaign later Tuesday. 

"Our message is very clear. We stand by, as is outlined in the Taiwan relations agreement (sic), by individuals in Taiwan," she said. "We stand by partners around the world who are subject to this kind of propaganda that Russia and China are projecting. And we're going to continue to deliver on those words with actions."

Psaki added: "Our objective in Afghanistan is to deliver also on what the president promised, which is to not put the men and women who served our country bravely over the past 20 years in harm's way. Again, And that's what we'll also be projecting to them as well."

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The senior Biden administration official also said that the United States will continue to engage with Taiwan under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) – which requires the U.S. to "provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character" – in direct contradiction with China's demand that the U.S. stop selling arms to China. 

"We will uphold our commitment under TRA, we will continue support Taiwan’s self-defense, and we will continue to oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo," the official said. 

Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.