Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is expected to visit the United States next month to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the third most powerful person in the United States. In response to concerns that China may carry out high-intensity military operations, such as entering Taiwan’s airspace, President Tsai’s visit to the United States is being promoted instead of Chairman McCarthy’s visit to Taiwan. There is a prospect that China will protest over this and that tensions in the Taiwan Strait may rise again.
The Financial Times (FT) reported on the 6th (local time) that President Tsai plans to visit New York and California to meet with Chairman McCarthy during his Central American tour early next month. President Tsai plans to give a speech at the Ronald Reagan Library in California, where he will also meet with Chairman McCarthy, the FT reported. The Reagan Presidential Foundation confirmed that Tsai had accepted the invitation to speak.
President Tsai’s decision to meet McCarthy in the United States, rather than Taiwan, is said to be due to security concerns caused by McCarthy’s visit to Taiwan. A Taiwanese government official told the FT, “(Chairman McCarthy’s side) has provided information on what kind of threat China is currently posing.” Previously, Chairman McCarthy announced plans to visit Taiwan right after his election as Speaker of the House in January this year.
President Tsai’s visit to the United States is the first in four years since July 2019. At the time, President Tsai gave speeches at Columbia University in New York and elsewhere, but did not hold talks with high-ranking officials in US politics.
Experts point out that if President Tsai and Speaker McCarthy meet, China is highly likely to protest as fiercely as during former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August last year. In 1995, when Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui visited the United States, China held a missile firing drill near the Taiwan Strait, sparking the third Taiwan Strait crisis.
According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, Taiwan’s Defense Minister (Minister) Chu Guo-jeong said at a government inquiry at the Legislative Yuan on the 6th, “The Chinese military may launch provocations near Taiwan this year.” If it enters, the Taiwanese army will open fire,” he stressed. He also revealed that he was discussing ammunition stockpiling with the United States. Taiwanese media reported that it was the first time that Chu had spoken publicly about stockpiling American ammunition and equipment in Taiwan.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.