Taiwan Prez to meet a US speaker? China alerts of countermeasures
The discussion between Tsai and McCarthy will be a provocation, the Taiwan Affairs of the State Council (cabinet of China) warned Washington on Wednesday, stating it will give momentum to “Taiwan separatists.”
China and the US are ready to be mired in a new game of tension, with Beijing alarm of “relentless countermeasures” on Wednesday if Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen sees US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during her scheduled transit of the US in early April.
The comments replied to reports, which said Tsai scheduled stopovers in the US on her way to the Central American nations of Belize and Guatemala and is anticipated to meet McCarthy in California while returning.
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China has recently stacked diplomatic and military coercion on Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy that it declares as a breakaway province to be merged by force if required.
Just days back, China simmered the Central American nation of Honduras from among Taiwan’s few formal allies, leaving Taipei with just 13 countries identifying it as a sovereign state.
China’s PLA has too often sent fighter planes around the island and had big wargames.
Zhu said that Tsai was intentionally pushing separatism, saying the “transit” by the Taiwan head is basically a subversive act of “depending on the US to seek independence.”
Zhu advised Washington to accept the “one-China principle rigorously” and the “three China-U.S. joint communique” and take concrete steps to meet the earnest commitment of not supporting “Taiwan independence”, the representative said.
China gave strong remarks against Washington and Taipei when Tsai travelled six times through the US between 2016 and 2019.
Provided how China replied when ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year — with the most significant military drill near the island ever — the scheduled appointment between Tsai and McCarthy has initiated worries of another round of heavy-handed Chinese reply.
Source – HT
