Beijing warns of a “severe impression” on US-China relations with Taiwan’s President’s go to to New York

(CNN) – Taiwan’s relationship with the US has “by no means been nearer,” President Tsai Ing-wen mentioned after arriving in New York Metropolis on Wednesday, as she warned Beijing her go to might result in a “harmful confrontation” between China and the US.

Tsai mentioned Taiwan confronted “huge challenges” from town because it makes the primary of two deliberate stops on each coasts of the US, forward of an official go to to Central America.

We all know we’re stronger once we stand in solidarity with different democracies. “Taiwan can’t be remoted, and we don’t take friendship with no consideration,” Tsai mentioned at a banquet with members of the Taiwanese American group, in response to a clip from CNN affiliate SET TV in Taiwan.

Tsai’s go to comes at a time of heightened pressure between the US and China, and has already drawn harsh condemnation from Beijing, which claims democratic Taiwan as its territory, although it by no means managed it.

Chinese language cost d’affaires Xu Xueyuan instructed reporters in Washington on Wednesday that Tsai’s transit to the US might result in a “severe” confrontation in US-China relations and have a “severe impression” on their relations.

“What the US did critically undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Xu mentioned, including that the US ought to bear “all the implications.”

Tsai’s travels have come beneath specific scrutiny after experiences that she’s going to meet Speaker of the US Home of Representatives Kevin McCarthy throughout certainly one of his unofficial stops within the US, a possible occasion that Beijing has pledged to “battle resolutely” if it goes forward.

Taiwan didn’t verify the assembly or present particulars of Tsai’s itinerary whereas she was in the US.

Beijing launched intense, days-long navy workout routines across the island final August, following a go to to Taipei by then-Speaker of the US Home of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi was the highest-ranking US official to go to Taiwan in 25 years, and the journey prompted accusations from Beijing that the US was altering the character of its relationship with Taiwan, a declare US officers have repeatedly denied.

Arrival of the President of Taiwan to the US

Tsai mentioned by way of Fb on Wednesday that her delegation had been obtained by Laura Rosenberger, president of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the group that maintains unofficial US relations with Taiwan. Rosenberger and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy made remarks at Tsai’s welcome banquet Wednesday night time.

Talking on the occasion, Tsai thanked the US authorities for “respecting its safety commitments to Taiwan” and famous Congress’s assist for Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, in addition to the Biden administration’s arms gross sales to Taiwan.

The USA is required by legislation to promote weapons to Taiwan to defend itself, though it ended its formal diplomatic relationship with Taipei in 1979 when it acknowledged the federal government in Beijing.

Due to the unofficial relationship between the US and Taiwan, Tsai’s transit is just not described as an official go to to maintain the US throughout the long-standing “One China” coverage.

Beneath the “One China” coverage, the US acknowledges China’s place that Taiwan is a part of China, however has by no means formally acknowledged Beijing’s declare to the island of 23 million individuals.

US officers have tried to dismiss their pause as uncommon and have urged Beijing to not use it as an excuse to hold out “aggressive or coercive actions” directed towards Taiwan.

Tsai had beforehand crossed the US six occasions whereas serving as president, in response to US officers.

NSC spokesman John Kirby confirmed Wednesday that these transits have been “personal” and “unofficial.”

The Individuals’s Republic of China shouldn’t use this transit as an excuse to accentuate any aggressive exercise across the Taiwan Strait. “There are variations between the US and China on the subject of Taiwan, however we’ve managed to take care of these variations for greater than 40 years,” Kirby mentioned.

Nonetheless, within the weeks main as much as Tsai’s go to, Beijing issued a number of denunciations and mentioned it was speaking with its US counterparts concerning experiences of a doable assembly with McCarthy, even when such a gathering on US soil could possibly be seen as much less provocative than a go to. to Taiwan by a senior US lawmaker.

Disagreements between China and the US over the way forward for the democratic island have intensified lately.

Beijing has vowed to take the island, by power if obligatory, and, beneath Xi Jinping’s management, has elevated navy, diplomatic and financial strain on democracy, even attractive Taipei’s allies to change allegiances.

“exterior strain”

Tsai’s transit by way of the US is a part of a broader worldwide journey that features state visits to 2 of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, Guatemala and Belize, earlier than crossing Los Angeles to return to Taiwan on April 7.

In remarks earlier than her departure, Tsai mentioned that “exterior strain” wouldn’t forestall Taiwan from “transferring over to the worldwide group.”

Guatemala and Belize are a part of a handful of nations that preserve diplomatic relations with Taipei.

That quantity dropped to 13 over the weekend as Honduras formally established diplomatic relations with China and severed them with Taiwan.

Beijing doesn’t have diplomatic relations with international locations that acknowledge Taipei.

With out specifying a date, the international ministry mentioned in a tweet on Wednesday that Honduran President Xiomara Castro would go to China “quickly” to signal “auspicious agreements.”

— CNN’s Jennifer Hansler in Washington, Gladys Tsai in Taiwan, Michael Rios in Atlanta, and Dhruv Tekkar of the INS in Hong Kong contributed to this report.