MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/. Beijing and Washington could move closer together, but any rapprochement would require the United States to cease its support for Taiwan’s separatist policy, Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, told TASS.

"I believe that any rapprochement between Washington and Beijing today is possible only if, among other things, they give up their support for Taiwan’s separatist policy," the lawmaker said.

Slutsky described the Taiwan issue as a "long-standing" conflict in which, he said, "fuel is periodically poured on the fire." He added that Russia’s position on Taiwan remains firm.

"From our standpoint, Taiwan is an integral part of China, and it will not be otherwise," the MP stressed.

In mid-December, the Focus Taiwan news website reported that the US government had approved the sale of several arms packages to Taiwan, including HIMARS systems, anti-tank missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles, with a total estimated value of $11.1 billion.

Taiwan has been governed by its local administration since 1949, when the remaining Kuomintang forces, led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975), fled to the island after being defeated in China’s civil war. Since then, Taiwan has preserved the flag and some other symbols of the Republic of China that existed in mainland China before the Communists came to power. However, Beijing considers the island to be one of its provinces, a position shared by the majority of countries, including Russia.