China Warns of 'Serious' Consequences if Taiwan Prez Meets McCarthy

President Tsai Ing-wen arrived in the US Wednesday
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 30, 2023 3:48 AM CDT
Updated Mar 30, 2023 6:12 AM CDT
Taiwan's President Begins Swing Through US
Protesters opposed to Taiwanese independence gather at a hotel where Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is expected to arrive in New York, Wednesday, March 29, 2023.   (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Taiwan’s president is beginning a swing through the United States and Central America, a visit aimed at showing that her self-ruled island has allies as it faces a rising threat from China. Taiwan was carefully calibrating President Tsai Ing-wen's stops in the United States, and, as always, forgoing any official meetings with senior US leaders in Washington, in an effort to contain what China said would be a strong but as yet unspecified response, the AP reports. Tsai arrived in New York on Wednesday and was scheduled to spend Thursday in the city, but few details of the trip were made public.

A senior Chinese diplomat in Washington, embassy charge d'affaires Xu Xueyan, pointed to an expected meeting between Tsai and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy elsewhere in the country. The meeting would have serious repercussions overall and a "serious, serious, serious" impact on US-China relations, she said in a virtual session with reporters on Wednesday. Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he hopes any US officials meeting unofficially with the president convey that American support for Taiwan is "strong and unequivocal.”

Taiwan is an important partner for Washington in the Indo-Pacific and a major recipient of US military aid. Last August, Beijing responded to the visit of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan by launching missiles, deploying warships across the median line of the Taiwan Strait, and simulating a blockade of the island. Tsai has made six trips to the US during her presidency, meeting with members of Congress and members of the Taiwanese diaspora. Administration officials are underscoring that her coming trip, which Taiwan calls a “transit,” is in line with what she and her predecessors have done in the past. (Earlier this month, Honduras switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X