US says 'no reason' for China to escalate over Taiwan VP visit
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Washington says that the vice president's transit trip to the US comes in line with its One China policy.
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Taiwan Vice President and Chairman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) William Lai gestures following his speech at the DPP headquarters in Taipei on April 12, 2023 (AFP)
Washington said on Monday that there is "no reason" to China's reaction regarding the stopover of Taiwan's vice president the United States, claiming that this move does not negate America's commitment to the One China policy.
"There is no reason to overtorque this transit into anything escalatory," US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said in a press briefing.
William Lai, who is a candidate to become the island's president in 2024, started on Saturday a trip to Paraguay to attend the presidential inauguration. The journey will include transit stops in New York and San Francisco, where the prominent politician is expected to meet with US officials.
China, as it staunchly advocates for the One-China principle, has repeatedly voiced its concerns over other countries' official exchanges with Taiwan.
This isn't the first time the US has made such a move using similar gray political strategies to host Taiwanese top officials, without having to announce them as official or state visits.
Lai said that his stop marks the 11th time in the past 20 years that a Taiwanese VP has transited through the United States.
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, while en route to Central America in March 2022, made a quick stop in New York, where she met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy amid heavy Chinese objections.
The White House then, as the case now, called for Beijing not to "overreact".
"This is consistent with our One China policy. We are not interested in deviating from the status quo," Patel continued.
It should not be "any kind of pretext or coercion or provocative activity," he said.
Officials are "looking forward to welcoming" Lai, Laura Rosenberger, the chair of the American Institute in Taiwan said as the Taiwanese official was on his way.
Only last week did China's foreign ministry urge US officials to "abide by the One-China principle and... to stop official exchanges between the US and Taiwan."
The United States responded by saying that China should not use Tsai's stopover as a pretext to "act aggressively" around the Taiwan Strait.
However, Taipei tried to downplay the trip and its significance; foreign ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu said there was "nothing special" about Lai transiting through the US on his way to and from Paraguay. He also explained that Lai was making the trip as Vice President rather than a presidential candidate.
On July 6, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on soldiers to protect China's sovereignty and territory, telling them to strengthen war and combat planning to boost their chances of winning in actual warfare, according to state-run Xinhua news agency.
