1 of 1 Taiwan President Tsai Ingwen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on April 5, 2023 — Photo: David Swanson/Portal Taiwan President Tsai Ingwen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on April 5, 2023 — Photo: David Swanson/Portal
Taiwanese President Tsai Ingwen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of the Republican Party on Wednesday (5).
The meeting took place in California at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.
“We are not isolated and we are not alone,” the Taiwanese leader told the MP. “Your presence and unwavering support reassure the people of Taiwan that we are not isolated and not alone,” Tsai said.
The Taiwanese leader also met with a delegation of American Democratic Party politicians.
Why is the meeting controversial?
China regards the island of Taiwan as a rebel province that is part of Chinese territory and has agreed to recapture it, including by force if necessary.
Under the “One China Principle,” the Chinese government does not allow any country to maintain diplomatic relations with China and Taiwan at the same time.
Only 13 countries in the world recognize Taiwan.
The US administration has long maintained a “strategic ambiguity” on the issue, a doctrine aimed at preventing China from invading Taiwan and preventing the island’s leaders from provoking Beijing with a declaration of independence.
How did China react?
China promised to give a firm response to the meeting, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
“In response to the grossly erroneous collusion between the United States and Taiwan, China will take decisive and effective measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the foreign ministry said in a statement released by Xinhua.
Wednesday’s meeting “severely weakened the oneChina principle,” according to which no country can maintain ties with Taipei and Beijing at the same time, the ministry said.
“The Taiwan issue is at the core of China’s fundamental interests and the first red line not to be crossed in SinoUS relations,” the State Department said in a statement.
According to Xinhua, the Ministry of Defense also criticized the meeting between Tsai and McCarthy.
“We firmly oppose any form of official interaction between the United States and Taiwan and any visit by the head of the Taiwanese authorities to the United States under any name and under any pretext,” the ministry said, according to Xinhua.
The Chinese military “will firmly uphold sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” the state agency said.