China firmly opposes Tsai Ing-wen’s plan to meet U.S. officials

Published : March 30, 2023

China firmly opposes Tsai Ing-wen’s planned “transit” visit to the U.S. to meet U.S. officials and will take resolute countermeasures in such an event, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, told a press conference on Wednesday.

The remarks came in response to reports that the Taiwan leader planned stopovers in the U.S. and is expected to meet U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California at the end of her trip.

If Tsai contacts McCarthy, it will be another provocation that seriously violates the one-China principle and undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, Zhu said.

The “transit” by the Taiwan leader is essentially a provocative act of “relying on the United States to seek independence,” and the U.S. side is urged to strictly abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and take concrete actions to fulfill the solemn commitment of not supporting “Taiwan independence,” the spokesperson said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday reiterated China’s firm opposition against any form of official ties between the U.S. and Taiwan, stressing China strongly opposes any U.S. visit by the leader of the Taiwan authorities, regardless of the rationale or pretext.

Noting China has lodged solemn representations to the U.S. side on this matter, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at the regular press briefing that Tsai’s reported trip is not so much a “transit,” but an attempt to seek breakthroughs and propagate “Taiwan independence.”

China is not overacting to the issue, Mao said, while pointing out that it is the U.S. that has been conniving and supporting “Taiwan independence” separatist forces, which is an act of egregious nature.

She added the issue is not provoked by the Chinese side, but by the U.S. side and the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces.

“We urge the U.S. to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, earnestly deliver on its leaders’ commitment of not supporting ‘Taiwan independence’ or ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one China, one Taiwan,'” said Mao.

She also urged the U.S.to stop all forms of official interaction with Taiwan, stop upgrading its substantive exchanges with the region, and stop obscuring and hollowing out the one-China principle.

China will closely follow the developments of the matter and resolutely and forcefully defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Mao noted.

(Cover: The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei City, southeast China’s Taiwan. /Xinhua)