China threatened retribution if Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during her upcoming visit to the United States.
Tsai traveled to the US on Wednesday and will next go to Guatemala and Belize to strengthen relations with diplomatic allies. US House Speaker McCarthy has offered to meet the Taiwanese leader in California on her way back to Taiwan, per a report from Yahoo! News.
China views the democratic island as its territory to be recaptured, and under its "One China" policy, no nation may have diplomatic links with both Taipei and Beijing.
Before Tsai Ing-wen left, China spoke out against the trip, threatening to "resolutely fight back" if Tsai met McCarthy, which Beijing considers to be a breach of its sovereignty.
While Tsai Ing-wen was on her way, the Chinese Foreign Ministry also took aim at the United States in connection with the China Taiwan conflict, urging Washington to stop "dangerous" measures that highlight the "political foundation of the two countries' relations," CNN reported.
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China Blasts the US for Conspiring With Taiwan
According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, the United States is continuously conspiring to promote the "separatist forces of Taiwan independence," not China.
The United States has said that Tsai Ing-wen's travel through mainland China should not be used as an excuse for Beijing to take coercive measures against Taiwan, according to Reuters.
Before Tsai Ing-wen departure, top US officials urged China should not to overreact to Taiwan's president's scheduled transits of the US this week and next month to prevent China Taiwan conflict.
Taiwanese presidents often travel via the US on their way to diplomatically important destinations in Central America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. While these trips are not formal state visits, they are frequently utilized by both parties for high-level discussions.
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