OAN Geraldyn Berry
UPDATED 12:09 PM – Thursday, April 6, 2023
Thursday saw the arrival of a bipartisan congressional delegation to Taiwan, one day after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy defied China by meeting with the president of the island.
Head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Representative Michael McCaul (R-Texas) relayed that this act makes the United States look like it is supporting Taiwan.
“Being here I think sends a signal to the Chinese Communist Party that the United States supports Taiwan and that we’re going to harden Taiwan, and we want them to think twice about invading Taiwan,” McCaul said.
China claims that the one-China principle, according to which Washington acknowledges Beijing as the only legitimate government of China while keeping friendly relations with Taipei, has been violated by the McCarthy-Tsai meeting calling it a “provocation.”
The third-highest ranking U.S. government official, McCarthy, and Tsai were charged by the Chinese Foreign Ministry with advocating Taiwanese independence during their meeting at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
High-ranking Taiwanese officials frequently visit the United States, according to the White House, so China shouldn’t use Tsai’s visit as a “pretext” for escalating its hostilities against the island.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen had been transiting through the United States on her way back from a trip to Guatemala and Belize. Tsai will reportedly return to Taiwan on Friday and then meet with McCaul’s delegation Saturday.
The rush of trips took place as China-U.S. ties sharply deteriorate as Beijing puts more pressure on Taiwan, refuses to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and becomes more assertive abroad. The February sighting and downing of a spy balloon over the United States infuriated many Americans and further strained relations.
The BRICS collective, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has been reportedly been working on a common currency in an attempt to ditch the U.S. dollar and push back against America’s dominance.
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