IG news Update,
BEIJING (AP) – As Taiwan’s president made a stop in the United States on his way to Central America, China said it was closely following developments and “will resolutely defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity”. “
China claims Taiwan as its territory that can be brought under its control by force if necessary, and portrays the self-governing island democracy of 23 million people as one of the most sensitive issues in its growing ties with the US. Is.
On Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning reiterated China’s fierce objection to any talks between Tsai Ing-wen and US officials.
China specifically warned that a meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy scheduled for April 5 in Los Angeles would bring a strong but as-yet unspecified response.
“China firmly opposes any kind of official dialogue between the US and Taiwan,” Mao told reporters at a daily briefing. “China will continue to closely follow the situation and resolutely defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
In August, Beijing responded to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan by launching missiles, deploying warships to the center line of the Taiwan Strait and simulating a blockade of the island. China temporarily suspended talks with the US on climate and other key issues and restricted military-to-military communications with the Pentagon.
Tsai’s visit aims to show that Taiwan still has allies despite China’s military threats and efforts to isolate it diplomatically. More recently, the Central American state of Honduras switched ties from Taipei to Beijing, leaving Taiwan with just 13 formal diplomatic allies. Tsai accused Beijing of using “dollar diplomacy” to capture another Taiwanese ally.
Tsai is expected to meet the American Institute’s Chair in Taiwan, Laura Rosenberger. AIT is a non-profit organization run by the US government that maintains informal relations with Taiwan.
While the US considers relations with Taiwan informal, it remains the island’s main source of military hardware and cooperation. US law requires Washington to treat all threats to the island as matters of “serious concern”, but does not explicitly say whether the US will commit troops.
Tsai arrived in New York on Wednesday and was due to spend Thursday in the city, but few details of the trip were made public.
The US usually skips any official meetings with senior US leaders in Washington for transit stops, as is the case with Tsai’s visit.
The latest spike in tensions comes months after the US said there was a Chinese spy balloon flying across the US, raising questions about China’s intentions. China says it was a research balloon that definately blew up, but the Biden administration ordered it shot down on the East Coast and canceled Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China in the wake of the incident.
Friction between Washington and Beijing has also increased over Taiwan as well as friction over trade, technology and human rights, China’s close ties with Russia and Moscow’s refusal to criticize its invasion of Ukraine.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week, underscoring the warming of “no-limits” ties between the two authoritarian states declared weeks before Russia’s years-old invasion.
China has provided an economic lifeline to Russia by purchasing the oil-rich country’s resources. US officials say they have seen signs that Beijing is considering selling military hardware to Moscow, although they say there is no evidence yet.
Days after Xi’s visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told The Associated Press that he expected to meet with Xi in Kiev. China, which has offered a peace proposal that said nothing about Russia withdrawing from Ukrainian territory, did not immediately respond to whether such a visit would take place.
Also on Thursday, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said Xi and Putin had reached “several important new points of agreement” during their Moscow meetings, laying down a “blueprint for the future of relations”.
“The strategic communication and practical cooperation between the two militaries has never stopped moving towards a higher level,” Tan said at a monthly briefing.
While Tan reiterated China’s stance that its ties with Russia were not a formal alliance and were not aimed at a third party, the two increasingly aligned their foreign policies in challenge to the dominance of global affairs by the US and other democracies. Is.
They also promised regular joint air and maritime patrols, exercises and training as the sides “work together to advance global security initiatives (and) jointly defend international fairness and justice.”
China is steadily building up its two million-strong armed forces – already the world’s largest standing army – as well as the latest generation of fighter jets, aircraft carriers and highly capable warships.
US military officials also say China is rapidly expanding its nuclear weapons stockpile and recent tough talks by Xi and other Chinese officials have raised concerns over a possible attack on Taiwan or other US interests .
join the conversation
Anyone can read conversations, but to contribute, you must be a registered Torstar account holder. If you don’t have a Torstar account yet, you can create one now (it’s free)