Regarding the meeting between US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, China warned on the 6th that “the US is on the wrong and dangerous path” and vowed to retaliate against Taiwan.
House Speaker McCarthy met President Tsai Ing-wen with more than 12 Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the 5th and showed off US support for Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.
The Biden administration recently said that there was nothing provocative about President Tsai’s visit to the United States. But with US support for Taiwan, relations between the US and China have plummeted to an all-time low. It is the first time that a US House Speaker has met the Taiwanese president in the US since the US cut official diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979, and China can interpret this as expanding contact with Taiwan.
China’s foreign ministry said on the morning of the 6th that it would “take resolute and strong measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity” and urged “the United States not to walk the wrong and dangerous path.” However, no clear indications of a massive military response, such as China’s previously had, appeared until this afternoon.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said this morning, “We will sternly punish the separatists who insist on ‘Taiwan independence’ and their actions, and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Chinese state media reported on the same day that Chinese ships would conduct a joint patrol and inspection operation in the Taiwan Strait for three days. The Fujian Maritime Safety Administration announced that its vessel Haishun 06 will be inspecting cargo ships traveling between Taiwan and China.
Taiwan’s defense ministry announced on the evening of the 5th that it had tracked the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong as it passed through the Bashi Strait and headed southeast of Taiwan. Taiwan also added that on the morning of the 6th, it also tracked three People’s Liberation Army naval vessels and a fighter jet in the area around Taiwan.
Meanwhile, US congressional visits to Taiwan have become more frequent last year, and the de facto embassy, the American Association in Taiwan, announced that another eight-member congressional delegation led by House Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Michael McCaul will arrive in Taiwan on the 6th for a three-day schedule.
[타이베이(대만)=AP/뉴시스]
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.