Taiwan’s President met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Thursday
Beijing:
China on Friday banned two US organizations that hosted Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during her visit to the US and her meeting with the House speaker, President Xi Jinping said, expecting a “compromise” from Beijing. is “wishful thinking”. “At your stand on the self-governing island.
Ms Tsai’s meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy – on Thursday came against a backdrop of repeated warnings from Beijing to Washington that the meeting should not take place. It was the first time a Taiwanese president had met an American speaker on American soil.
China views any official exchanges between foreign governments and Taiwan as a violation of Beijing’s sovereignty claims over the island.
China’s Foreign Ministry announced that the Washington-based think tank Hudson Institute and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California would be banned from any cooperation, exchange or transaction with institutions and individuals in China.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley was the location where Tsai met with McCarthy and a bipartisan group of congressional leaders. This was the second high-profile meeting between a US official and Taiwan’s president.
China also approved the Hudson Institute, which hosted an event and honored Tsai with its Global Leadership Award on 30 March.
Sanctioned groups included Asia-based groups – The Prospect Foundation and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats – for their involvement in promoting Taiwan independence.
,[The] The Taiwan issue is central to China’s core interests. The Chinese government and the Chinese people will never agree to fuss about the one-China issue,” President Xi told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a meeting in Beijing on Thursday.
It was the first comment by US House Speaker McCarthy after his meeting with Tsai, which drew sharp criticism from Beijing.
The official Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying, “Anyone who expects China to compromise on the Taiwan question can only indulge in wishful thinking and self-defeating.”
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, von der Leyen said the Taiwan issue was discussed and he told Xi that “threats to use force to change the status quo are unacceptable. Resolve through dialogue”. The South China Morning Post reported.
On Friday’s sanctions, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said both US institutions were banned from exchanges, cooperation and other activities with any individuals, universities or institutions in China.
“We want to emphasize that China will take firm measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning told a media briefing.
It also sought to dismiss questions about how Beijing could integrate Taiwan, which follows a multi-party democratic system, with China’s one-party rule led by the ruling Communist Party.
Mao said that the Taiwan question is not about democracy but about China’s territorial integrity and reunification, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.
“China’s sovereignty and territory have never been divided and will never be divided,” he stressed.
He said, “Some countries support Taiwan in the name of democracy and use the Taiwan question to contain China. This move is dangerous and gets nowhere. Taiwan’s future lies in the development of cross-strait relations and cooperation with the mainland.” lies in reuniting with.”
Mao said differences in systems are not an excuse for reunification or division and advocated the ‘one country-two systems’ formula that Beijing seeks to apply to Hong Kong.
He said that peaceful reunification and ‘one country, two systems’ fully take into account the realities of Taiwan and help achieve peace and stability after reunification.
“This is the basic principle of resolving the Taiwan question and the best way to realize reunification,” she said.
The sanctions came a day after China vowed retaliation against Taiwan.
China and the US also displayed their naval power by deploying aircraft carriers in the Taiwan Strait in a rare display.
Under its long-standing “one China” policy, the US accepts China’s position that Taiwan is part of China, but has never officially recognized Beijing’s claim to the island of 23 million. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, it is also bound by law to provide the democratic island with the means of its own defense.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said on Friday that the head of state of the Republic of China (Taiwan) exercises a fundamental right of a sovereign nation when traveling to other countries to engage in diplomatic activities. China has no right to interfere.
“China is overreacting when it uses this as a pretext to further suppress Taiwan’s international space and impose so-called sanctions on relevant individuals and organizations. increases hostility towards, but also exposes Taiwan’s erratic and absurd nature.” Communist regime,” Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)