President Tsai Ing-wen's "Partners for Democracy and Common Prosperity Journey" set off yesterday. Tsai Ing-wen made a speech before boarding the plane, and then waved at the boarding gate to greet the sending officials, starting a ten-day visit.

(Photo by reporter Liu Xinde)

Kirby: No U.S. official meeting scheduled for unofficial visit

[Compiled by Yang Fuyi, Guan Shuping/Comprehensive Report] President Tsai Ing-wen set off yesterday to visit allies in Central America, and will stop in New York and Los Angeles on the way.

A senior White House official stated on the 28th that there is a precedent for President Tsai’s transit in the United States. This is her seventh non-official visit to the United States. China should not “overreact” and use her transit in the United States as an “excuse for invading Taiwan.” ".

Draw a red line against China, "Don't use it as an excuse to invade Taiwan"

According to the Central News Agency, Kirby, the strategic communication and coordinating officer of the National Security Council of the White House, said at the media briefing that it is not uncommon for the president of Taiwan to transit the United States. This is the seventh time for President Tsai Ing-wen to transit the United States.

As for whether the US government will send officials to meet with President Tsai?

Kirby pointed out that there are no such plans.

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In response to Honduras severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan and establishing diplomatic ties with China three days before President Tsai’s visit, Kirby said that this matter will not affect President Tsai’s transit schedule, and severing diplomatic ties is something Hongguo should do when it is clear that China is an “unreliable partner” sovereign decision.

In addition, according to the meeting summary of the US State Department, Secretary of State Blinken met with Foreign Minister Ariola of Paraguay, Taiwan's South American ally, in Washington on the 27th. He especially thanked Paraguay for its principled commitment to Taiwan, saying that democracies need to stand together to resist attempts to oppress Liberal, human rights-violating regime.

Reuters and Agence France-Presse reported that an anonymous senior official of the U.S. government said that President Tsai had previously transited through the U.S. and met with members of the U.S. Congress and overseas Chinese in Taiwan. "Therefore, China has absolutely no reason to use this transit as a reaction." excessive, or further provocation or coercion against Taiwan."

The official said that while Beijing was putting pressure on Taiwan militarily, economically and diplomatically, "these one-sided attempts to change the status quo will not pressure the U.S. government to change our long-standing practice of facilitating (such) transit through the U.S."; Washington Continue to communicate with China on a wide range of issues through multiple diplomatic channels.

Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan: Continue to monitor the situation

Regarding the tension in the Taiwan Strait that may be triggered by Tsai's visit, the Japanese government spokesman and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroichi Matsuno also reiterated at a regular press conference yesterday that Japan hopes that the Taiwan issue can be resolved peacefully through dialogue and will continue to monitor the situation accordingly.

Wall Street Journal: U.S.-China Relations Put to the Test Again

The Wall Street Journal reported on the 28th that some people in the Biden administration are worried that Tsai Ing-wen will meet with the Speaker of the US House of Representatives McCarthy in California when she transits the border. Large-scale military exercises around Taiwan may erode Taiwan's security in other ways.

McCarthy is the highest-ranking U.S. political figure that a Taiwanese leader has ever met with during a U.S. stopover.

The report pointed out that Taiwan's president's visit to the United States has always been carefully handled. Washington tried to make Taiwan's leaders show that the Taiwan government has the support of the United States, but at the same time, it must avoid giving Beijing the opportunity to take a strong retaliation.

How the three governments handle Tsai Ing-wen's stopover in the United States may determine whether the relationship between the United States and China will deteriorate further.

Ge Laiyi, director of the Indo-Pacific Program of the American think tank "German Marshall Fund", said, "If this crossing is not handled carefully, it may completely screw up." More friction."

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