China pledges to take 'effective' actions as Taiwan president meets US House speaker

China warned of taking "resolute" actions in retaliation for Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's recent visit to the United States and her meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday. In a furious statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry labelled Tsai's US visit a "transit" that "gravely violated" the one-China principle, which perceives Taiwan as its own and recognises the PRC as the sole legal government representing the entirety of China.

In the statement, the ministry vowed that China will take "resolute and effective measures to safeguard national sovereignty" as the meeting between Tsai and McCarthy was held with complete disregard for China's constant warnings. Moreover, China accused the United States of offering a platform to the Taiwanese leader for making separatist remarks that demanded "Taiwan independence".

"This is essentially the United States acting with Taiwan to connive at "Taiwan independence" separatists' political activities in the United States, conduct official contact with Taiwan and upgrade the substantive relations with Taiwan, and frame it as a transit," the ministry said. China's repeated warnings were noticed by Tsai Ing-Wen, who said in a joint address with McCarthy on Wednesday that Taiwan's democracy is facing a "threat." 

China says US 'crossing a line'

The ministry said that the trip was a blatant violation of the provisions laid out in the three China-US joint communique. "In the three China-US joint communiques, the United States made a clear commitment to maintaining only unofficial relations with Taiwan. Over the years, however, the United States has obdurately attempted to contain China by exploiting the Taiwan question and betraying its commitments," the ministry said.

"The United States has been crossing the line and acting provocatively on issues such as US-Taiwan official exchanges, arms sales to and military dealings with Taiwan and creating chances for Taiwan to expand its so-called "international space", and kept fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle," it added.