Taipei [Taiwan]: On March 29, as Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen embarked on a 10-day visit to Central America, which will include transit in the United States, China has warned the Taiwanese President against meeting US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Mao Ning, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said that the US side keeps conniving to support the separatist forces of Taiwan independence and asked Washington to stop committing “dangerous acts that underline the political foundation of the two countries’ relations.” As she departed on a diplomatic mission to Central America, Tsai Ing-wen said that Taiwan has every right to “connect with the world,” CNN reported.
Ahead of Tsai’s departure, China hit out against the trip pledging on March 29 to “resolutely fight back” if the Taiwanese President met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a move Beijing would consider a violation of its sovereignty.
As Tsai Ing-wen was en-route with the Chinese Foreign Ministry, China also criticised the US, calling on Washington to stop committing in “dangerous measures that highlight the political foundation of the two countries’ relations.”
As per the CNN report, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, “It is not the Chinese side that overreacts, but the US side that keeps conniving to support the separatist forces of Taiwan independence”.
According to CNN, Tsai Ing-wen departed from Taiwan on March 29 for a 10-day trip, which will include stopovers in New York City and Los Angeles on either side of official visits to Guatemala and Belize.
“External pressure won’t stop our determination from moving toward international society,” Tsai Ing-wen told reporters before taking off.
Tsai Ing-wen further said, “We’re calm, confident, uncompromising and unprovocative”.
The trip has gained attention after reports claimed that Tsai Ing-wen would meet US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during one of her unofficial stopovers in the US, as per the CNN report. Taiwan is yet to confirm the meeting between the two leaders. In March, McCarthy said he would meet Tsai while she was in the US. However, he did not mention any date.
The Taiwanese President is expected to visit Guatemala on April 1 and Belize on April 3, following her stopover in New York City. She will transit in Los Angeles before she travels back to Taiwan on April 7, CNN reported citing Taiwan’s Presidential Office, as per the news report.
Last year, China fired multiple missiles and launched military drills around Taiwan after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island. Her visit also strained the bilateral ties between US and China.
(with inputs from ANI)
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