McCarthy to meet Taiwan's leader on Wed. despite China's warnings
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Republican US House Speaker is to meet Taiwanese President on Wednesday, ignoring China's strong opposition to any kind of official contact between the two countries.
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USIn this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks before departing on an overseas trip at Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, March 29, 2023 (AP)
Republican US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Monday he would meet Taiwan's leader Tsai Ing-wen in California on Wednesday, and US media reported that around 20 US lawmakers planned to accompany the speaker.
"On Wednesday, April 5, Speaker Kevin McCarthy will be hosting a bipartisan meeting with the President of Taiwan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library," his office announced in a statement.
Read: Taiwan President in US for visit that violates China's core interests
China not only considered the move to be as a provocation, it also warned on Wednesday that it was vehemently opposed to any meeting between Tsai and McCarthy and vowed to take "resolute measures to fight back" if it goes ahead.
The United States responded by saying that China should not use Tsai's stopover as a pretext to "act aggressively" around the Taiwan Strait.
A senior US official also said China must not "overreact" to Tsai's en-route stop in the country and use her trip to the United States as a "pretext" for "coercing the island."
Beijing has reaffirmed its sovereignty over Taiwan and said that no person or entity has the power to prevent China from attaining its objective of complete national reunification.
Read: China: reunification with Taiwan 'unstoppable historical trend'
Last week, Taiwan recalled its ambassador to Honduras over a visit by Tegucigalpa's Foreign Minister to China.
Taipei's government said in a statement that "Honduras ignored more than 80 years of friendship between (Taiwan and Honduras) when they sent their foreign minister to China, which has seriously damaged the feelings of our government and people," adding that Taiwan "decided to immediately recall our ambassador in Honduras to express our strong dissatisfaction."
A couple of days later, formal diplomatic ties between China and Honduras were officially established. Meanwhile, Taiwan rushed to blame Beijing for what it called using "coercion and intimidation" to lure away its few remaining allies.
Tensions rose between China and Washington following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei in August 2022. China considers Taiwan part of its mainland and opposes any direct official foreign contact with the island.
China announced last year that it will firmly fight against "Taiwan’s independence" and promote reunification of the island with the homeland.
A government report stressed that China plans to "steadfastly implement the [Chinese Commuist] Party's overall strategy to resolve the Taiwan issue in the new era, firmly uphold the one-China principle and abide by the 1992 consensus."
It is worth noting that following Pelosi's visit to Taipei, China carried out massive military exercises around Taiwan after repeatedly warning Washington against this visit which is considered a breach of the "One China" policy.
Chinese air jets crossed the median line, also known as the "buffer zone", of the Taiwan Strait on Friday and conducted patrol missions, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said.
Nine Chinese aircraft crossed the median line from the north, center, and south, the Defense Ministry said, while Taiwan's military deployed jets and ships to monitor the situation while sticking to "not escalating conflicts or causing disputes," the Ministry added.
China's aircraft only "slightly" passed across the median line, a Taiwan official told Reuters, adding that Chinese ships were operating as usual.
