OAN Geraldyn Berry
UPDATED 6:00 PM – Wednesday, March 29, 2023
China warned that they would retaliate if House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during her visit to the U.S. in the following week.
On Wednesday, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhu Fenglian, claimed that the meeting between the House speaker and President Tsai Ing-wen would be a “provocation” that Beijing would view as an expression of support for Taiwan’s independence.
“If she makes contact with U.S. House Speaker McCarthy, it will be another provocation that seriously violates the one-China principle, undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” Zhu said. “We are firmly opposed to this and will take measures to resolutely fight back.”
The concurrent visits highlight Taiwan’s precarious situation and the escalating hostilities between the United States and China, which analysts warned could prompt Beijing to react to Tsai’s trip to the United States more forcefully than in the past.
“Taiwan will firmly walk on the road of freedom and democracy and go into the world,” Tsai said. “Though the road ahead is rough and steep, we are not alone.”
High-ranking Taiwanese officials, including Tsai, are frequently invited to the United States, according to the country’s long-standing policy of recognizing Beijing as the only legitimate government of China.
Lev Nachman, an American political scientist and assistant professor at National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan, claimed that since Tsai’s most recent trip to the United States in 2019, relations with China have only become more problematic.
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By: OAN
