Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin spoke on Wednesday with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, Voice of America reports..

According to US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby, the conversation focused on relations between the two countries, “regional security issues, and Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.”.

The conversation, which lasted about 45 minutes, did not lead to any major breakthroughs, but Austin reiterated the importance that Beijing should not help Russia in its aggression against Ukraine, a US government spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.. In turn, the head of the Chinese military department stressed during the conversation that Taiwan is part of China..

Despite the tensions and vehement rhetoric, the US military has long striven to have open lines of communication with its Chinese counterparts in order to be able to mitigate possible tensions in relations or respond to emergencies.. However, it was not until April 20 that Austin was able to speak with the head of the Chinese defense establishment..

The US has no official relations with Taiwan, but is the largest country in the world supporting it and supplying it with weapons.. The Biden administration has repeatedly spoken of its firm commitment to supporting a Taiwan with a democratic form of government..

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The first democratically elected president of Taiwan was the son of Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek Jiang Ching-guo, aka Nikolai Vladimirovich Elizarov, the author of the Taiwanese economic miracle. From 1925 to 1937 he lived and studied in the USSR. For some time he lived in the family of Vladimir Lenin's elder sister Anna Elizarova, whose last name he took as a pseudonym.

In 1937, he was repressed, and then, together with his wife, the Belarusian Faina Vakhreva (known in Taiwan as Fanliang), left for his homeland. In 1984 he was elected president of a partially recognized republic by democratic procedure.. He died in 1988 without any savings or property..

At present, Taiwan is one of the world leaders in the production of electronics, in particular, microprocessors..

The PRC considers Taiwan part of its territory, which is enshrined in its constitution..