TAIWAN President Tsai Ing-wen is set to travel to the United States this week, where she is expected to meet with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California at the end of her trip, however, McCarthy has not confirmed any meeting with Ing-wen.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese officials previously told the financial times that their president would sit down with the U.S. House Speaker during her visit to California.
Tsai will travel to the United States as part of her 10-day trip, which also includes trips to Belize and Guatemala.
Her visit was met with a strong warning from Beijing, with its government warning to take countermeasures if Taiwan’s president meets with the U.S. House Speaker.
Speaking to reporters, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said that Tsai’s transits to the U.S. were not just her waiting at the airport or hotel but for her to meet U.S. officials and lawmakers.
Fenglian also said that if Tsai has contact with McCarthy, it would be another provocation that seriously violates the one-china principle, harms China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and destroys peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Meanwhile, Tsai will also visit Belize and Guatemala two of the 13 countries that officially recognize Taiwan over China.
Tsai’s transits come at a time when US-China tensions continue to escalate, and their relations have continued to sour since Washington normalized ties with Beijing in 1979 and switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan.
It also comes after Honduras announced that it has severed ties with Taiwan in favor of Beijing.
Taiwan’s former president, Ma Ying-Jeou, visited China and declared that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to same China.
Ma urged Taipei and Beijing to work together to revitalize the nation, create the future and seek common development, and uphold the 1992 consensus.
