The United States said on Thursday it was keeping “open lines of communication” with China after Wednesday’s meeting in Los Angeles between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy.
The Chinese government condemned Tsai’s visit to the US, accused Washington of “collusion” with the island and said it would respond with “resolute and effective measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
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“We have many channels of communication with our peers in China and we are committed to keeping them open to avoid the risk of conflict,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told a news conference.
He said Secretary of State Antony Blinken still intended, when “conditions permit”, to reschedule the Beijing trip he canceled in February after the US detected an alleged Chinese spy balloon.
The spokesman said the US and China have “differences” over Taiwan, but said peace and stability in the region were in the “global interest” and urged the Chinese to “cease diplomatic and economic pressure on the autonomous island”.
Patel insisted again that there was “no reason for China to overreact to Tsai’s visit to American soil.” “The visit, which is not official, was consistent with US policy, which defends the principle of one China and not recognizes Taiwan’s independence,” added Patel.
The new crisis between the two countries comes after the Taiwanese president made a “stopover” in the US and met McCarthy, a Republican, on Wednesday, despite warnings from China.
A Chinese navy fleet led by the aircraft carrier Shandong sailed near Taiwan on Thursday en route to the eastern Pacific, where it is due to carry out maneuvers.
Taiwan is a major bone of contention between China and the US, mainly because this country is the main supplier of weapons to the autonomous island and would be its main military ally in the event of a military conflict with China.
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