Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has arrived in Los Angeles where she was received by the Speaker of the American Chamber, Kevin McCarthy. “The friendship between America and the people of Taiwan has never been stronger.” the US Chamber spokesman wrote on Twitter, posting a photo of the meeting with Tsai Ing-wen at the Reagan Library on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
Just a private visit for Washington, a trivial transit, for China an unacceptable provocation. The Los Angeles meeting between Taiwan President Tsa Ing-wen and the third incumbent of the US administration, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, the first in the United States in over 40 years, has infuriated and risked Beijing a further deterioration in relations, already very tense, between the two superpowers.
“There is nothing unusual about the Taiwanese President traveling to the United States or meeting members of the US Congress. There is no reason for China to respond to the visit.” This was echoed by US national security spokesman John Kirby, stressing that he could not confirm the news of China’s launch of a special operation in the island’s straits.
“There is nothing new in the relationship between Taiwanese authorities and the US, all presidents of Taiwan have passed through the US at some point, our position has not changed and we continue to believe in the ‘One China’ policy. Don’t take these trips as an excuse to increase tension and change the status quo, the goal is always to have peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits. The US Secretary of State said so Anton Blinken at the end of the NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels on the meeting between President Tsai Ing-wen and Congress Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The fact is that China has launched a “patrol and inspection operation in the central and northern parts” of the strait. It will take a week, according to Guancha, a nationalist portal in Shanghai, although it is not clear how many ships are involved besides the Haixun 06. “China is firmly opposed to the United States restricting Tsai Ing-wen’s transit on its territory and also at the meeting with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, the third incumbent US state,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mao Ning said , and accused Washington of a “grave violation of the principle of ‘united China’ and of seriously undermining its sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
ANSA agency
The announcement came hours after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met Speaker of the House McCarthy in Los Angeles (ANSA)
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