The US hopes China will not use any visits by US lawmakers to Taiwan as an excuse for military action, a senior US diplomat said on Wednesday, adding that all countries should warn Beijing against conflict over the nation.
US-China relations were rocked in August last year by a visit to Taiwan by then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Since then, several US lawmakers have visited Taiwan, and speculation has swirled that Pelosi’s successor, Kevin McCarthy, could visit Taiwan in the spring or summer.
Photo: REUTERS
US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told an event at the Brookings Institution think tank that the US was committed to support Taiwan and its ability to defend itself under its “one China” policy.
“We hope that the PRC [People’s Republic of China] does not use a visit by a member of [the US] Congress to Taiwan as a pretext for military action,” Sherman said.
China staged military drills around Taiwan proper after Pelosi’s visit.
Strained relations between Washington and Beijing deteriorated further this month after the US military shot down what it said was a Chinese spy balloon that flew across US territory.
Sherman drew on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a lesson for China against any moves in the Taiwan Strait, saying the war had increased energy and food insecurity for the whole world, as well as inflationary pressures.
“The same would be true of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait,” Sherman said. “And so, I urge all countries to tell the PRC this affects me. This affects my people, my country. This is not a good idea.”
Sherman said Washington had “growing concern” about China’s “no limits” partnership with Russia and its support for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, even as it was attempting to increase its global standing by saying it would help mediate an end to the conflict.
She said China could not have it both ways.
“But what I would say to all of those who are supporting Russia, you’re going to end up with an albatross around your neck,” Sherman said, adding that Ukraine would deliver a strategic failure for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“That’s going to create a lot of problems for those who are supporting this unholy invasion going forward,” she said.
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US