Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen arrived in New York, United States, on Wednesday for her first visit to the country in over three years, the seventh since she has been president. Formally, Tsai Ing-wen’s visit is not an official visit as head of state but a transit stop on a journey to Central America: despite governing itself independently for over 70 years, Taiwan is not recognized by a large part of the community international. China considers it part of its territory and sees any action in which it places itself or is treated as an independent state as a threat to its own authority.
It happened in this case too: Chinese Foreign Minister Mao Ning said that Tsai Ing-wen’s visit was not a transit passage but an “attempt to propagandize the independence of Taiwan” and shows “the clear connivance and the support of the United States” on the issue. According to China, Tsai Ing-wen’s visit “undermines” its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
There were also demonstrations in front of the hotel where Tsai Ing-wen was staying in New York: a few dozen people waving Taiwanese and US flags were joined by hundreds of China supporters, waving Chinese flags and holding placards calling Tsai Ing-wen a “traitor” and saying “there is only one China in the world.” Tsai Ing-wen will stay in the United States until Friday.
