Topline
Chinese diplomatic officials Tuesday warned House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) against meeting Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen Wednesday, saying it would further deteriorate already strained ties between Washington and Beijing.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is set to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday.
Key Facts
McCarthy’s meeting would be “another serious violation” of the one-China policy and “greatly hurt the national sentiments of the 1.4 billion Chinese people,” a spokesperson for the Chinese consulate general in Los Angeles said in a statement.
Identifying McCarthy as the third-highest ranking official in the U.S. government, the consulate warns him against “playing the ’Taiwan card’,” saying it both further damages the U.S.-China relations and strengthens the “determination of the Chinese people to unite and fight for national reunification.”
Dismissing Tsai’s meetings with U.S. officials as a “political stunt,” the statement alleges U.S. officials “connived and supported” Taiwan’s independence efforts by allowing Tsai to transit through the country.
The Taiwanese leader will arrive in Los Angeles on Wednesday after completing a visit to Guatemala and Belize.
The consulate alleges that Tsai’s transit through the U.S. is simply a ploy to “seek breakthroughs and propagate” Taiwanese independence.
Crucial Quote
“China urges the US to…stop all forms of official interaction with Taiwan authorities, stop upgrading its substantive exchanges with Taiwan region, and stop the wrongdoings of using Taiwan to contain China.” the statement added.
Key Background
On Monday, McCarthy officially announced his plans to host a “bipartisan meeting” with Tsai in California on Wednesday, during her stopover in the state. The meeting will take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The meeting would be the second time in less than a year sher has met with a U.S. House speaker. In August, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a surprise visit to Taiwan along with a Congressional delegation. That historic visit triggered an angry response from China, which carried out its biggest ever military drills surrounding the island. When rumors of Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy emerged last week, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian warned that this would be seen by Beijing as “another provocation” and it will “definitely take measures to resolutely fight back,” without elaborating.
Chief Critic
Responding to threats from Chinese officials, Chang Tun-han, the deputy secretary-general of Taiwan’s presidential office, cited a speech by former President Ronald Reagan saying “Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid.” He then added: “It is the right of the 23mn people of Taiwan to have exchanges with democratic nations, and there is no room for China to comment.”
Further Reading
McCarthy Meeting With Taiwanese President Will Be Seen As ‘Provocation,’ China Warns (Forbes)
US House speaker to host Taiwan president on Wednesday in California (Reuters)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/04/04/mccarthys-meeting-with-taiwans-president-will-only-strengthen-fight-for-reunification-china-warns/