(Dan Tri) – US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will meet Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen in California on April 5, while China announced military exercises in the East China Sea.
Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen spoke during her visit to Guatemala on March 31 (Photo: Reuters).
On April 3, the Office of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives announced that Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen will have a meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other members of the US Congress at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Valley.
The meeting took place when Ms. Tsai Ing-wen was transiting in the US to return to Taiwan after a visit to several American countries.
Before the Taiwanese leader’s trip to the US, Beijing warned that it would `resolutely respond` if the meeting between Ms. Tsai and Mr. McCarthy was held.
On April 3, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ninh continued to emphasize that Beijing resolutely opposes `any form of official interaction and communication between the US side and the Taiwanese government`.
The Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command announced that it had dispatched three warships to participate in an exercise in the East China Sea.
The posted images show warships practicing live-fire exercises against `enemy warships`.
The Chinese military’s statement did not directly mention Taiwan, but Chinese analysts said that because the exercise was carried out by the command that monitors the Taiwan Strait, this was seen as a reaction.
Tsai Ing-wen has stopped in the US six times since becoming Taiwan’s leader in 2016. She has also met with members of the US Congress as well as state and local officials in the US.
Tsai’s most recent visit to the US took place in 2019. At that time, the Chinese military conducted exercises off Taiwan’s southeastern coast in what was seen as a warning message.
Mr. McCarthy’s predecessor, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, visited Taipei last August.
US officials declared that a Taiwanese leader transiting in the US `is not a new thing`, and called on Beijing to refrain from overreaction.
