China’s foreign ministry on Thursday (April 6) condemned the meeting between US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in California. The ministry vowed a resolute response to the high-level meeting.
“In response to the seriously erroneous acts of collusion between the United States and Taiwan, China will take resolute and effective measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the ministry said in a statement published by the news agency Xinhua.
The ministry further said that Wednesday’s meeting gravely violated the one-China principle. “The Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations,” it added.
Earlier too, Beijing had repeatedly warned against the meeting between McCarthy and Tsai.
China has vowed to bring Taiwan under its control, by force if necessary, and staged war games around the island in August last year following a visit by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting (between McCarthy and Tsai), Taiwan’s defence ministry said that a Chinese aircraft carrier group had been deployed in the waters off the island’s southeast coast.
The ministry said the Chinese ships, led by the carrier the Shandong, passed through the Bashi Channel, adding they were going for training in the Western Pacific.
Beijing has not commented on this development yet.
US must continue arms sales to Taiwan: McCarthy
Following his meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai, US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said that Washington must continue its arms sales to Taiwan and strengthen economic cooperation with trade and technology. “We must continue the arms sales to Taiwan and make sure such sales reach Taiwan on a very timely basis,” McCarthy said at a press conference alongside Republican and Democratic lawmakers who took part in the bipartisan meeting with Tsai.
Democratic Congressman Pete Aguilar said he looked forward to more such meetings in the future, while Republican Mike Gallagher responded to China’s objections by saying, “If the duly elected leader of one of our most important democratic partners can’t meet with American leaders on American soil, then we are merely feeding the crocodile that will eventually eat us.”
Gallagher also told reporters he would like to look for ways to get Harpoon missiles to Taiwan ahead of those scheduled to go to Saudi Arabia.
US support shows Taiwan is not isolated: Tsai
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