Taiwan’s chief Tsai Ing-wen met with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy throughout a stopover in California on Wednesday in a high-profile go to condemned by Beijing as a diplomatic provocation.
Tsai, who attended a bipartisan assembly held by McCarthy on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library outdoors of Los Angeles, warned that “democracy is under threat” as she spoke alongside the U.S. speaker in his house state.
“It is no secret that today the peace we have maintained and the democracy which we have worked hard to build are facing unprecedented challenges,” Tsai stated.
“We once again find ourselves in a world where democracy is under threat and the urgency of keeping the beacon of freedom shining cannot be understated.”
Speaking to the press, McCarthy stated he had a “very productive discussion” with the Taiwanese chief.
“Based on our conversation, it’s clear several actions are necessary: first we must continue arms sales to Taiwan and make sure such sales reach Taiwan on a very timely basis,” the highest Republican stated.
He went on to say that Washington should strengthen its “economic cooperation, particularly with trade and technology” and that it should proceed to advertise “shared values on the world stage.”
Tsai stopped within the U.S. on her return from Central America, the place she met with the leaders of Guatemala and Belize. The White House insists her time within the U.S. will not be an official go to.
Beijing had condemned the U.S. cease, because it regards Taiwan as a part of China and it rejects any official contact between nations and Taipei.
China has additionally raised the prospect of taking the island by power if needed, with the U.S. threatening to take motion if that occurs. Taiwan is self-governing and sees itself as impartial.
Asked concerning the go to in Brussels earlier Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Beijing to not use Tsai’s stopover “as an excuse to take any actions to ratchet up tensions.”
Such “transits” by Taiwanese officers are “nothing new,” he stated.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
