Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday reaffirmed United States’ support of the "One China" policy, reiterating that Washington does not favour Taiwanese independence.

"We do not support Taiwan independence," Blinken said in a press conference following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday. 

"We remain opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side. We continue to expect the peaceful resolution of cross strait differences,” he said. “We remain committed to continuing our responsibilities under the Taiwan Relations Act including making sure Taiwan has the ability to defend itself."

Also read: Xi meets Blinken in Beijing

"At the same time, we and many others have deep concerns about some of the provocative actions that China has taken in recent years going back to 2016," Blinken added. 

"And the reason that this is a concern for so many countries, not just the United States, is that were there to be a crisis over Taiwan, the likelihood is that could produce an economic crisis that could affect quite literally the entire world."

"Fifty percent of commercial container traffic goes through the Taiwan Strait every day. Seventy percent of semiconductors are manufactured in Taiwan. If as a result of a crisis that was taken offline, it would have dramatic consequences for virtually every country around the world," he added.

Also read: Blinken to meet Xi, State Department says, in bid to ease US-China tensions

Blinken's remark comes amid rising tensions between China and the United States over Taiwan. Taiwan's air force scrambled fighter jets last week after a group of ten Chinese aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line for the second time in a matter of days.

China views Taiwan, which is self-governing, as part of its own territory and has indicated its intention to forcibly integrate it. Despite recognizing Beijing as the legitimate government of China, the United States maintains informal relations and defense alliances with Taiwan.

Blinken's remarks appear to be a reversal of Biden's promise in September 2022 to defend Taiwan militarily in case of a Chinese invasion.

Also read: Blinken opens second day of talks in Beijing on mission to ease soaring US-China tensions

Asked in a CBS 60 Minutes interview broadcast on September 18, last year, whether US forces would defend the self-ruled island claimed by China, the US president replied: “Yes, if in fact there was an unprecedented attack.”

Meanwhile, the US and China have pledged to stabilise their tense relationship following US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's two-day visit to Beijing.

Blinken met China's President Xi Jinping for talks on Monday, restarting high-level communications between the rival superpowers, reports BBC.

Following the meeting with the Chinese president, the top US diplomat indicated that there remained major differences between the two states.

Also read: Blinken kicks off meetings in Beijing on high-stakes mission to cool soaring US-China tensions

"I stressed that... sustained communication at senior levels is the best way to responsibly manage differences and ensure that competition does not veer into conflict," Blinken told reporters after the 35-minute meeting at the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square.

"I heard the same from my Chinese counterparts," he said. "We both agree on the need to stabilise our relationship."