Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Trump-Backed Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Passes US Senate

7 hours ago

Israeli Officials to Hold Ceasefire Talks in Washington Amid Military Escalation in Gaza

8 hours ago

Trump Escalates Feud With Musk, Threatens Tesla, SpaceX Support

8 hours ago

Musk Vows to Punish Lawmakers Who Back Trump’s Spending Bill

24 hours ago

Fresno Man Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years for $4.2 Million Tech Startup Fraud

1 day ago

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

1 day ago

Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?

1 day ago

Shaver Lake and Reedley 4th of July Shows Are Wednesday. Who Else Is Celebrating?

1 day ago
China Vows 'Forceful' Measures After US-Taiwan Meeting
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 years ago on
April 6, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

China vowed reprisals against Taiwan after a meeting between the United States House speaker and the island’s president, saying Thursday that the U.S. was on a “wrong and dangerous road.”

Speaker Kevin McCarthy hosted Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday in a show of U.S. support for the self-ruled island, which China claims as its own, along with a bipartisan delegation of more than a dozen U.S. lawmakers.

The Biden administration maintains there is nothing provocative about the visit by Tsai, which is the latest of a half-dozen to the U.S. Yet, it comes as the U.S.-China relationship has fallen to historic lows, with U.S. support for Taiwan becoming one of the main points of difference between the two powers.

But the formal trappings of the meeting, and the senior rank of some of the elected officials in the delegation from Congress, could lead China to view it as an escalation. No speaker is known to have met with a Taiwan president on U.S. soil since the U.S. broke off formal diplomatic relations in 1979.

In response to the meeting, Beijing said it would take “resolute and forceful measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” in a statement issued early Thursday morning by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It urged the U.S. “not to walk further down a wrong and dangerous road.”

In December, China’s military sent 71 planes and seven ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour display of force directed at the self-ruled island after China expressed anger at Taiwan-related provisions in a U.S. annual defense spending bill. China’s military pressure campaign on Taiwan has intensified in recent years, and the Communist Party has sent planes or ships toward the island on a near-daily basis.

But as of Thursday afternoon, there was no overt sign of a large-scale military response.

“We will take resolute measures to punish the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and their actions, and resolutely safeguard our country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said a statement from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Thursday morning, referring to Tsai and her political party as separatists.

Chinese vessels were engaged in a joint patrol and inspection operation in the Taiwan Strait that will last three days, state media said Thursday morning. The Fujian Maritime Safety Administration said its ship, the Haixun 06, would inspect cargo ships and others in the waters that run between Taiwan and China as part of the operation.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said Wednesday evening it had tracked China’s Shandong aircraft carrier passing southeast of Taiwan through the Bashi Strait. On Thursday morning, it tracked three People’s Liberation Army navy vessels and one warplane in the area around the island.

‘Resolute’ American Support

U.S. Congressional visits to Taiwan have stepped up in frequency in the past year, and the American Institute in Taipei, the de facto embassy, announced the arrival of another delegation Thursday. House Foreign Affairs Committee head Michael McCaul of Texas is leading a delegation of eight other lawmakers for a three-day visit to discuss regional security and trade, according to a statement from AIT.

At their meeting Wednesday, Tsai and McCarthy spoke carefully to avoid unnecessarily escalating tensions with Beijing. Standing side by side at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, the two acknowledged China’s threats against the island government.

“America’s support for the people of Taiwan will remain resolute, unwavering and bipartisan,” McCarthy said at a news conference later. He also said U.S.-Taiwan ties are stronger than at any other point in his life.

Tsai said the “unwavering support reassures the people of Taiwan that we are not isolated.”

More than a dozen Democratic and Republican lawmakers, including the House’s third-ranking Democrat, had joined the meeting.

Tsai said she and McCarthy spoke of the importance of Taiwan’s self-defense, of fostering robust trade and economic ties and supporting the island government’s ability to participate in the international community.

But she also warned, “It is no secret that today the peace that we have maintained and the democracy which we have worked hard to build are facing unprecedented challenges.”

“We once again find ourselves in a world where democracy is under threat and the urgency of keeping the beacon of freedom shining cannot be understated,” she said.

The United States broke off official ties with Taiwan in 1979 while formally establishing diplomatic relations with the Beijing government. As part of its recognition of China, the U.S. “One China” policy acknowledges that Beijing lays claim to Taiwan, but does not endorse China’s claim, and the U.S. remains Taiwan’s key provider of military and defense assistance.

Washington also has a policy of strategic ambiguity, where it does not explicitly say whether it will come to Taiwan’s aid in the case of a conflict with China.

In Taiwan, Tsai’s visit did not make a huge splash, though fellow politicians paid close attention.

Ko Wen-je, the former Taipei city mayor who’s thought to have presidential aspirations, said he welcomed any exchange between Taiwan and international leaders.

“Taiwan hopes to have a greater space to operate globally, and the mainland shouldn’t get flustered because of this,” Ko wrote on his Facebook page. “It should show the attitude of a civilized nation and stop its suppression by military force.”

Opposition lawmaker Johnny Chiang of the Nationalist party said that Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy was still within the guardrails of the “One China” policy because it showed that while Congress was relatively free to support Taiwan, the White House was more constrained, according to local media.

In August, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi traveled to Taiwan to meet with Tsai. China responded with its largest live-fire drills in decades, including firing a missile over the island.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war and have no official relations, although they are linked by billions of dollars in trade and investment.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

DON'T MISS

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

DON'T MISS

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

DON'T MISS

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Wildfire Prompts Advisory in Three Rivers Area

DON'T MISS

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

DON'T MISS

Trump Says US Could Reach Trade Deal With India, Casts Doubt on Deal With Japan

DON'T MISS

Jury Reaches Verdict on Some Counts at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Sex Trafficking Trial

DON'T MISS

How Wimbledon Is Tackling Its Hottest Opening on Record

UP NEXT

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

UP NEXT

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

UP NEXT

Trump Says US Could Reach Trade Deal With India, Casts Doubt on Deal With Japan

UP NEXT

California Republicans Send Message to Trump: Deport Criminals, Not Our Vital Workers

UP NEXT

US Senate Strikes AI Regulation Ban From Trump Megabill

UP NEXT

Despite Last-Minute Changes, Senate Bill Deals Big Blow to Renewable Energy

UP NEXT

Trump-Backed Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Passes US Senate

UP NEXT

Homeland Security Secretary Noem Says CNN May Be Prosecuted Over Report on Migration App

UP NEXT

Musk Promises a New Political Party if the GOP Bill Passes

UP NEXT

France Shuts Schools, Italy Limits Outdoor Work as Heatwave Grips Europe

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

24 minutes ago

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

1 hour ago

Tulare County Wildfire Prompts Advisory in Three Rivers Area

2 hours ago

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

2 hours ago

Trump Says US Could Reach Trade Deal With India, Casts Doubt on Deal With Japan

2 hours ago

Jury Reaches Verdict on Some Counts at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Sex Trafficking Trial

2 hours ago

How Wimbledon Is Tackling Its Hottest Opening on Record

2 hours ago

Tulare County Gang Robber Sentenced to Life in Prison for Attempted Murder of Police Officer

2 hours ago

The Chainsmokers to Headline Dog Daze Festival at Chukchansi Park

2 hours ago

Sex Abuse Scandal Forces Fresno’s Catholic Diocese to Declare Bankruptcy

3 hours ago

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

A major change in California’s environmental review process is intended to make it easier to build housing in places like Fresno. And ...

13 seconds ago

14 seconds ago

New California Environmental Rollbacks Could Boost Housing Projects in Fresno

An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. REUTERSStringerFile Photo
21 minutes ago

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

22 minutes ago

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

Lara Trump looks on during Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump's rally, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 6, 2024. (Reuters File)
25 minutes ago

Trump Floats Daughter-in-Law Lara Trump for Senate Run in North Carolina

A Google logo is seen at a company research facility in Mountain View, California, U.S., May 13, 2025. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

Google Hit With $314 Million US Verdict in Cellular Data Class Action

Tulare County firefighters are actively battling a wildfire Tuesday, July 1, 2025, near North Fork Road in Three Rivers, prompting a “Ready” advisory but no evacuation order. (Tulare County FD)
2 hours ago

Tulare County Wildfire Prompts Advisory in Three Rivers Area

2 hours ago

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol as Republican lawmakers struggle to pass U.S. President Donald Trump?s sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 27, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Trump Says US Could Reach Trade Deal With India, Casts Doubt on Deal With Japan

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend