"US Warns China as Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen Visits Amidst Growing Tensions"
๐ Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen arrived in New York for a sensitive stopover on her way to Guatemala and Belize, despite China's threats to "resolutely fight back" if she met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
๐ Tsai's visit is seen as support for Taiwan's aspirations as a separate country, which angers China that claims Taiwan as its own territory.
๐บ๐ธ Before Tsai's arrival, the White House urged China not to escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait due to her transit in the US.
๐ค Tsai expressed Taiwan's determination to engage with the world, stating that "external pressure" will not deter them.
๐น๐ผ Taiwan's President's visit to the US follows Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan last year, marking the highest-ranking US official to visit in over 25 years.
๐ข China repeatedly warned against such visits, fearing they would support Taiwan's independence aspirations.
๐จ๐ณ China's Taiwan Affairs Office threatened measures of retaliation if Tsai met McCarthy, and the Chinese embassy in Washington warned of a potential serious confrontation in China-US relations.
๐ค Sources revealed that around 20 US lawmakers planned to accompany McCarthy for the meeting, which was expected to take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
๐ฅ Taiwan's defense minister issued a warning about the possibility of Chinese military "sudden entry" into areas near Taiwan, as tensions rise in the Taiwan Strait.
๐ China has increased its military activities around Taiwan, including frequent air force incursions into Taiwan's air defense identification zone.
๐ซ While Taiwan has not reported Chinese forces entering its contiguous zone, it did shoot down a civilian drone that breached its airspace near a Chinese islet last year.











