China Threatens Retaliation If The President Of Taiwan Meets US Speaker McCarthy

China has threatened “resolute countermeasures” in response to a meeting between Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen and US House speaker Kevin McCarthy during the leader of the self-governing island democracy’s upcoming trip to the US.

Recent diplomatic pressure on Taiwan has increased, with China snatching the shrinking number of Taipei’s allies and dispatching military fighter jets to the island almost daily.

Honduras forged diplomatic ties with China earlier this month, leaving Taiwan with 13 nations that recognize it as a sovereign state.

When Ms. Tsai left Taiwan on Wednesday to start her 10-day tour of the Americas, she presented the trip as an opportunity to demonstrate Taiwan’s dedication to democratic values on the international stage.

“I want to tell the whole world, democratic Taiwan will resolutely safeguard the values of freedom and democracy, and will continue to be a force for good in the world, continuing a cycle of goodness, strengthening the resilience of democracy in the world,” she told reporters.

“External pressure will not obstruct our resolution to engage with the world.”

Ms. Tsai will pass through New York on March 30 en route to Guatemala and Belize. The meeting with Mr. McCarthy is tentatively scheduled on April 5, when she is anticipated to make a stop in Los Angeles on her way back to Taiwan.

Her stops in the US are the ones that receive the most attention.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Relations Bureau, criticized Ms. Tsai for stopping in China on her way to see diplomatic friends in Central America and urged US officials not to meet with her.

“We firmly oppose this and will take resolute countermeasures,” Ms Zhu said.

She argued that the US should “avoid coordinating Tsai Ing-transit wen’s trips and any communication with American officials, and take tangible steps to uphold its solemn vow not to assist Taiwan independence.”

Senior US officials in Washington and Beijing have stressed to their Chinese counterparts that transit visits by the president of Taiwan through the US during larger foreign tours have become customary over time.

Ms. Tsai has met with members of Congress and members of the Taiwanese diaspora during recent unofficial visits, and the chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, a non-profit organization run by the US government that maintains unofficial relations with Taiwan, has extended her a warm welcome.

Although tensions between Beijing and Washington over trade, human rights, and US backing for Taiwan have increased, the anticipated meeting with Mr. McCarthy has raised concerns about a harsh Chinese response.

In 2022, after Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the house at the time, paid a visit to Taiwan, Beijing fired missiles over the region, stationed warships across the Taiwan Strait’s median line, and conducted military drills simulating an island blockade. Beijing also put a stop to US-China climate negotiations and limited military-to-military communication with the Pentagon.

Ms. Tsai will meet with Mr. McCarthy when she is in the US, and he hasn’t ruled out the prospect of visiting Taiwan to demonstrate his support.

China interprets official US contacts with Taiwan as encouragement to formally recognize Taiwan’s long-standing de facto independence, a move that US authorities claim they oppose.