At the meeting with the US protocol number three, Taiwan’s president thanked her for her continued support.
(Photo: Reuters)
Washington/Beijing A meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has fueled new tensions between the West and China. The California encounter was the first such encounter on American soil. At a meeting with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Beijing on Thursday, China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping reiterated his claim to power on the island: “To expect China to be willing to compromise on the Taiwan issue is just wishful thinking. Anyone who does that will only shoot themselves in the foot.”
The communist leadership in Beijing regards the island as part of the People’s Republic and threatens to conquer it. The island of 23 million people has a democratically elected government. The US has committed to Taiwan’s defense capability, which means arms supplies. China seeks to isolate Taiwan and rejects contacts from other countries to Taipei. A visit by McCarthy’s predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, to Taiwan in August had led to a serious crisis. A trip to Taipei by Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) recently caused trouble.
In protest at the California meeting, China imposed sanctions on US organizers of events involving Tsai. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, where the meeting took place on Wednesday, and the Hudson Institute were fined. The think tank presented an award to Taiwan’s president. Both institutions have provided “a platform and facilities for separatist activities,” the Foreign Ministry said in Beijing.
At the meeting with the US protocol number three, Taiwan’s president thanked her for her continued support. “We are once again in a world where democracy is under threat.” McCarthy countered that the ties between the US and Taiwan are stronger than ever. The Chinese government spoke of “outrageous misconduct”. The Ministry of Defense in Taipei reported that a Chinese aircraft carrier group had crossed waters southeast of the island republic. There were also military maneuvers.
The meeting took place during a stopover by Tsai after a trip to Central America, which was not declared an official visit. The US government downplayed the importance. All other presidents of Taiwan had also made such private transit stops in the USA.
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