China has warned that Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s planned meetings in the US could result in “serious confrontation” between the US and China.
Overview
Tsai arrived in New York on Wednesday as she is travelling through the US for a 10-day trip to Belize and Guatemala. On her return trip, the leader is expected to transit through Los Angeles, where she will likely meet with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Tsai’s visit to the Central American countries comes after Honduras ended longstanding ties with the self-governing island this week in favour of China, lured by to the promise of increased financial aid.
Taiwan President @iingwen is in downtown Manhattan, walking with Taiwan’s representative to the U.S. @bikhim. pic.twitter.com/Ps8DcLPhMb
— TaiwanPlus (@taiwanplusnews) March 29, 2023
Taiwan is yet to confirm the meeting, while McCarthy said he would meet Tsai during her transit through the country, although he gave no date.
Chinese Backlash
China warned on Wednesday that it will “resolutely fight back” if Tsai meets the US House Speaker, which it believes would be a violation of its sovereignty.
At the same time, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning also called on the US to stop committing “dangerous acts that underline the political foundation of the two countries’ relations.”
Mao added that Beijing is “firmly” opposed to the Taiwanese leader’s visit to the US “under whatever pretext” and against “the US’ having any form of contact with the Taiwan authorities,” which it pointed was a violation of the one-China principle.
Taiwan is governed as a sovereign democracy and has never come under PRC rule. There is little support in Taiwan for unification. Beijing has ramped up military exercises around Taiwan in recent years, claiming the country as part of China's own territory.
— TaiwanPlus (@taiwanplusnews) March 30, 2023
Referring to the former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last year, Mao said that “repeating a mistake does not make it legitimate.” She further alleged that the trip “is not so much a ‘transit,’ but an attempt to seek breakthroughs and propagate ‘Taiwan independence.’”
“The ones who are creating the problem and making provocations is not China, but the US and the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists,” the spokesperson asserted. She further pledged that China “will closely monitor the developments and firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The US responded that China should not use Tsai’s transit as a pretext for aggression around the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwanese Response
Meanwhile, Tsai said upon her arrival in New York that the island’s relationship with the US has “never been closer.” “We know that we are stronger when we stand together in solidarity with fellow democracies. Taiwan cannot be isolated and we do not take friendship for granted,” she said at a banquet with members of the Taiwanese-American community.