Ms. Tsai Ing-wen met with the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, China immediately spoke up

Bà Thái Anh Văn gặp Chủ tịch Hạ viện Mỹ, Trung Quốc lập tức lên tiếng

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen speaks with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at a joint press conference after their meeting on April 5 at the Ronald Reagan Library. (Source: Reuters)

At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. McCarthy called Ms. Tsai Ing-wen “a great friend of the United States.” He added: “I am confident that we will find a way for the American people and the Taiwanese people to work together to promote economic freedom, democracy, peace and stability.” For his part, the Taiwanese leader thanked Mr. McCarthy and the American delegation for their friendship.

Notably, after a quick statement to the press, Mr. McCarthy and Ms. Tsai Ing-wen went inside to begin discussions. At this time, a plane flew over the meeting area, carrying a banner: “One China! Taiwan is part of China.” But the discussion still went on as scheduled.

Speaking at a joint press conference afterwards, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen thanked the US Congress and affirmed: "We are stronger when united."

Meanwhile, the host country's Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, said that the discussion focused on accelerating arms sales to Taiwan: "We will continue to sell arms to Taiwan and ensure that such sales are completed in a timely manner. In addition, we need to strengthen economic cooperation, especially in the fields of trade and technology."

For his part, Democratic Congressman Pete Aguilar said he expected to continue meeting with Taiwan's leaders in the future, while Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher expressed his hope that all sides would find a way to promote the sale of Harpoon missiles to Taiwan.

Immediately afterwards, the Chinese Foreign Ministry criticized the meeting between Tsai Ing-wen and Kevin McCarthy, calling it “collusion” and asserting that it would “resolutely” take measures to protect sovereignty.

China's Ministry of National Defense also issued a strong statement, stating: "We firmly oppose any form of official interaction between the US and Taiwan as well as any visit by Taiwan leaders to the US under any name or for any reason. We firmly oppose the US side's contact with the DPP government in any form, which violates the 'One China' principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques."

The statement called on the US side to honor its political commitment to China on the Taiwan issue, stressing: "The US side must stop its blatant interference in China's internal affairs and stop official interactions with Taiwan. The US should also stop upgrading substantive exchanges with Taiwan, and stop tarnishing and eroding the 'One China' principle.

According to the statement, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will "stand firm to its responsibilities and missions and remain highly vigilant. The PLA will resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."