China on Wednesday promised “retaliation” if the Taiwanese president meets with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during a trip to the United States and Central America to strengthen the island’s diplomatic ties with its allies.
President Tsai Ing-wen stops in New York on Wednesday before traveling to Guatemala and Belize, and then stops in California on the way back from that trip, where McCarthy said he would meet her.
Beijing warned on Wednesday it was “firmly opposed” to such a meeting and vowed to take “firm measures of retaliation” if it did.
China regards the autonomous island as one of its provinces and intends to recapture it by force if necessary. In the name of the “One China” principle, no country should maintain official relations with both Beijing and Taipei at the same time.
“If Ms. Tsai engages in dialogue with Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Mr. McCarthy, it will be seen as another provocation that will seriously violate the One China principle and undermine sovereignty and integrity. territorial integrity of China, and will endanger peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” said Zhu Fenglian, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing.
Honduras established diplomatic relations with China on Sunday. That makes Belize and Guatemala among the last 13 countries to officially recognize Taiwan, to the detriment of Beijing.
“External pressure will not hamper our determination” to be active on the international stage, Ms. Tsai told reporters before leaving Taiwan. “We are calm and confident. We will not give in and we will not provoke (others).
Call for calm from the United States
During this ten-day trip, Ms. Tsai will meet the President of Guatemala Alejandro Giammattei and the Prime Minister of Belize John Briceno.
She will stop in Los Angeles on her way back to Taiwan. Mr McCarthy said he would then meet with Ms Tsai, which Taiwanese authorities have not confirmed.
In 2022, a visit to Taiwan by Mr McCarthy’s predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, sparked the wrath of Beijing, which organized major military maneuvers around the island in retaliation. Taipei believed these exercises were aimed at preparing for an invasion.
“There is absolutely no reason for China to use this as an excuse to overreact or step up coercion against Taiwan,” a senior US official said Wednesday.
Beijing has ramped up military, economic and diplomatic pressure on the island since Ms Tsai took power in 2016, and has since recaptured nine of its diplomatic allies.
“Beijing’s attempts to usurp Taiwan’s diplomatic partners will push Taiwan to develop closer ties with the United States,” said James Lee, a specialist in US-Taiwan relations at Sinica Academy in Taiwan.
Washington, which nonetheless granted Beijing diplomatic recognition in 1979, is the island’s most powerful ally and also its main arms supplier.
According to Mr. Lee, “the loss of official ties with third countries is offset by the deepening of Taiwan’s unofficial ties.”
Beijing is not only opposed to official exchanges, but also opposes visits by politicians from countries with which Taipei has unofficial ties.
Strategic Region
Latin America, where China has increased investment, has become a strategic ground in the diplomatic struggle Taipei has waged against Beijing since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
Taipei on Sunday condemned China’s “coercion and intimidation” to take away its allies after Beijing officially announced the establishment of diplomatic ties between Honduras, one of Latin America’s poorest countries, and China.
In addition to Guatemala and Belize, Taiwan also maintains diplomatic relations with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Paraguay and Haiti, but also with Pacific island states and the Vatican.