China threatened on Wednesday to retaliate if Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during his visit to the United States, specifying that such an interview would represent a “provocation”.
The president of Taiwan will leave on Wednesday for an official trip to Guatemala and Belize and will be in New York and Los Angeles.
Sources have indicated that Tsai Ing-wen plans to meet Kevin McCarthy during her visit to Los Angeles without this being officially confirmed.
“If she contacts Speaker of the House of Representatives (Kevin) McCarthy, it will represent a new provocation that will seriously violate the one-China principle, undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and destroy peace. and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Bureau, said at a press conference.
“We will take measures to fight back”
“We strongly oppose this and will take steps to fight back.”
US officials said China had no reason to overreact and the Taiwanese president’s visit to the United States was in line with long-standing practice.
A senior official said that during his previous visits, Tsai Ing-wen had participated in various activities, including meetings with members of Congress, the Taiwanese diaspora and other groups.
Washington has called on Beijing to keep lines of communication with the United States open.
