After Taiwan's President Tsai Ing Wen departed for the U.S., China threatened Washington with retaliation if U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met Tsai.
What Happened: Tsai, on Wednesday, departed from Taipei to meet diplomatic allies in Guatemala and Belize, transiting through New York first and Los Angeles on the way back.
“External pressure will not hinder our determination to go to the world,” Tsai said, pointing at China, while leaving for her diplomatic tour at Taiwan’s main international airport at Taoyuan.
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“We are calm and confident, will neither yield nor provoke. Taiwan will firmly walk on the road of freedom and democracy and go into the world. Although this road is rough, Taiwan is not alone,” Tsai added.
According to previous reports, Tsai is expected to meet McCarthy on her way back to California.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Zhu Fenglian said Tsai’s “transits” of the U.S. were not just her waiting at the airport or hotel, but for her to meet U.S. officials and lawmakers.
“If she has contact with U.S. House Speaker McCarthy, it will be another provocation that seriously violates the one-China principle, harms China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and destroys peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” she said.
“We firmly oppose this and will definitely take measures to resolutely fight back,” Zhu said.
Tsai's meeting with McCarthy is likely to fuel China-U.S. tensions further. As the U.S., like most countries, doesn't have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan due to its disputed status, Taiwanese presidents routinely pass through the U.S. and engage in high-level meetings instead of formal visits.
Meanwhile, a senior U.S. official previously said Tsai’s transits are standard practice and Beijing should not use them as a pretext for aggressive action toward the self-governed island.
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