China condemns high-level US meet with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, vows 'resolute' response

Beijing, China: China’s foreign ministry criticised the meeting in California between US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday, according to official media Xinhua. Tsai met with a team of Republican and Democratic officials during a layover in the US on Wednesday after visiting Guatemala and Belize, two of Taipei’s diminishing number of recognised allies. “In response to the seriously erroneous acts of collusion between the United States and Taiwan, China will take resolute and effective measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the ministry said in a statement published by Xinhua. China claims Taiwan as its own territory and objects to Taipei’s diplomatic contacts with other countries. China has pledged to reclaim it one day, using force if necessary. The conference on Wednesday “gravely violated the one-China principle,” according to the ministry, referring to the stance legally accepted by the US for decades. “The Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations,” the ministry added. The Ministry of National Defense also condemned Tsai and McCarthy’s meeting, Xinhua reported. “We firmly oppose all forms of official interaction between the United States and Taiwan and any visit by leader of the Taiwan authorities to the United States in any name or under whatever pretext,” the ministry said in a statement, according to Xinhua. “The (People’s Liberation Army) will resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” the ministry added.