BEIJING: China threatened to retaliate on Wednesday (Mar 29) if United States House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen during her planned transit of the US next month, saying that any such move would be a “provocation”.
China, which claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly warned US officials not to meet Tsai, viewing it as support for the island’s desire to be seen as a separate country.
China staged war games around Taiwan last August when then House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, and Taiwan’s armed forces have said that they are keeping watch for any Chinese moves when Tsai is abroad.
Tsai is due to depart on Wednesday for a trip to Guatemala and Belize that will see her transit through New York and Los Angeles. While not officially confirmed, she is expected to meet McCarthy while in California, at the end of her trip.
Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, told reporters in Beijing that Tsai’s “transits” of the United States were not just her waiting at the airport or hotel, but for her to meet 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, harms 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 fight back,” Zhu added, without giving details.