VISITING Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Tuesday reiterated Beijing’s position on the Taiwan issue, urging Washington to conform to the spirit of the three joint communiques underpinning China-U.S. relations.

At a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House, Xi called on the United States side to safeguard, with concrete action, the peaceful development of relations across the Taiwan Straits and the overall development of China-U.S. relations, according to a press release issued by the Chinese delegation.

Xi said the Taiwan issue concerns China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and remains, as always, the most important and most sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations.

Beijing appreciates Washington’s repeated declarations of its commitment to the one-China policy on various occasions, Xi said.

Obama, for his part, reiterated adherence to the one-China policy based on the three joint communiques, according to the press release.

The United States rejects any calls for “Taiwan independence,” Obama said, adding that his country wants to see the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations move forward. (Xinhua)