Kevin McCarthy and Tsai Ing-wen in California
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy demonstrated unity at a meeting in California. Taiwan is “not isolated and not alone,” Tsai said.
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy demonstrated unity at a meeting in California. After the call, Tsai said the reception by scores of lawmakers from McCarthy’s Republican Party and President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party showed that Taiwan “is not isolated and not alone.” China called the meeting a “violation of the one China policy” and announced a “firm” response. Taiwan, meanwhile, reported Chinese warships near the island.
McCarthy said at the meeting at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, near Los Angeles, that he was “optimistic” that the US and Taiwan would continue to “find ways to work together to bring about economic freedom, democracy, peace and stability in Asia support financially”.
A shared belief in democracy and freedom is “the foundation” of a lasting relationship, McCarthy told Tsai. The friendship between the American and Taiwanese people is of great “importance for the free world“. “We will honor our commitments and reaffirm our commitment to our shared values, which unite all Americans,” he continued.
McCarthy also stated that planned US arms shipments to Taiwan would go ahead as planned, calling arms shipments “the best way to prevent war.” The example of Ukraine has shown that sanctions alone “do not stop someone who wants to wage war,” McCarthy told journalists.
McCarthy, who holds the third highest office in the US, and Tsai met despite Chinese criticism and threats. Both pro-Beijing and pro-Taiwan protesters gathered in front of the Presidential Library.
Beijing sharply criticized the meeting. China will respond to “the grave error of the US-Taiwan collusion” with “effective and decisive measures” to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
The Foreign Ministry said the meeting was a “serious violation of the one-China policy.” Part of the so-called One China policy is to recognize Beijing as the sole representative of China. Since the split between mainland China and Taiwan in 1949, Beijing has viewed the island as a breakaway territory that it wants to reunite with the mainland – if necessary using military force. The Taiwan issue is “a red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations,” the State Department added.
The Chinese Defense Ministry also condemned the meeting. “We firmly oppose any form of official interaction between the United States and Taiwan, as well as any visit to the United States by a senior Taiwan official (…),” the ministry said, according to Xinhua. In the run-up to Tsai’s visit, China had warned the United States against “playing with fire.” A “serious confrontation” threatens.
Tsai arrived on Tuesday evening for a layover in the US state of California after visiting the Central American states of Guatemala and Belize. Last week she had already made a stopover in New York on her way to Central America. China’s criticism of Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy has been particularly harsh given the US politician’s senior position.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s defense ministry said a Chinese plane and three warships had been spotted near the island. “An airplane and three ships belonging to the Chinese army were spotted near Taiwan around 6 a.m. today,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Taiwanese forces would “react to these activities,” it said.
Chinese authorities had previously said they would step up patrols in the waters between the mainland and the island, but without giving any details.
A visit to Taiwan by McCarthy’s predecessor at the head of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, had caused massive tensions last year. China held major military maneuvers in waters off Taiwan in response to the trip by President Joe Biden’s party friend.
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