BEIJING/TAIPEI (Portal) – China on Wednesday threatened retaliation if US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during her scheduled transit through the United States next month, saying such a step would be a “provocation”. .
China, which claims democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly warned US officials not to meet Tsai, seeing it as support for the island’s desire to be considered a separate country.
China staged war games across Taiwan last August when then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, and Taiwan’s armed forces have said they are on the lookout for Chinese movements whenever Tsai is abroad.
Tsai will embark on a trip to Guatemala and Belize on Wednesday that will take her through New York and Los Angeles. Although not officially confirmed, she is expected to meet McCarthy in California at the end of her trip.
Zhu Fenglian, spokesman for China’s Bureau of Taiwan Affairs, told reporters in Beijing that Tsai’s “transit” through the United States was not just waiting at the airport or hotel, but meeting US officials and lawmakers.
“If she has contact with US House Speaker McCarthy, it will be another provocation that seriously violates the one China principle, violates 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 retaliate,” Zhu added, without giving details.
The United States says such transits by Taiwanese presidents are routine and that China should not use Tsai’s trip to take aggressive steps against Taiwan.
Taiwanese presidents routinely pass through the United States while visiting diplomatic allies in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific, which, while not official visits, are often used by both sides for high-level meetings.
China says both it and Taiwan belong to “one China,” and as a Chinese province, the island has no right to any state-to-state relations.
Taiwan’s government has firmly rejected China’s claims of sovereignty, and while Tsai has repeatedly offered talks with Beijing, she has also said only Taiwan’s people can decide its future.
Tsai is expected to provide commentary at the airport before her flight to New York departs.
Reporting by Bernard Orr and Ben Blanchard; Edited by Himani Sarkar and Michael Perry
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