China’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday denounced US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s reception of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California, according to the Chinese news agency Xinhua.
‘Dangerous collusion’
“In response to the seriously misguided acts of collusion between the United States and Taiwan, China will take resolute and effective measures to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, quoted by the agency.
The statement added that Wednesday’s meeting “severely violated the one-China principle,” referring to a policy that Washington has officially recognized for decades.
China’s red line
Also, “the Taiwan issue lies at the core of China’s core interests and the first red line that should not be crossed in Sino-American relations.”
In the context, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense also denounced Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy, according to Xinhua.
“We firmly oppose all forms of official interaction between the United States and Taiwan and absolutely a visit by a Taiwanese leader to the United States under any name or pretext,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The army will resolutely protect China’s sovereignty”
“(The People’s Liberation Army) will resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” she added.
Tsai met prominent US politicians from both the Republican and Democratic parties during a stop in the United States on Wednesday as part of a tour that also included Guatemala and Belize, two official allies of Taipei.
It is noteworthy that Beijing stresses that Taiwan is part of its territory and rejects any official contact between Taipei and other countries, and has pledged to restore it by force if necessary.
