Will Tsai meet with McCarthy? The American flight of the President of Taiwan

Possible meeting between the President of Taiwan and the Speaker of the US House of Representatives in California, upon his return from his tour of Guatemala and Belize. But Beijing announced “firm retaliatory measures” if the two sides meet. Map of the Allies (and others) in Central America

Everything is ready for a trip Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan, first in the United States and then in Central America. So far, the appointment has not been confirmed, but it is very likely that at one of the two airports in the United States he will meet with the President of the Chamber, Kevin McCarthy.

Tsai left Wednesday for the United States, from where she will later head to Guatemala and Belize to strengthen ties with diplomatic allies. He left Taipei for New York on an F-16 fighter jet.

The world press including the newspaper New York times And the agency bloombergAnd On the trip back to Taiwan, they argue, Tsai would stop in California, where McCarthy said he would meet her.

Earlier this month, McCarthy canceled his trip to Taiwan, he said Formiche.net. The visit of Nancy Pelosi, a spokeswoman before McCarthy, to Taiwan in 2022 drew a negative reaction from Beijing, as the Chinese military conducted maneuvers of an unprecedented scale across the island, as reported by the French news agency.

And this time the reaction will be no less strong. The Chinese government warned that it was “firmly opposed” to any meeting between Tsai and McCarthy, and promised “resolute counter-attack measures” if the meeting took place. Chu FenglianA Chinese spokesperson for the Office of China’s Taiwan Affairs said, “If she (Tsai) meets with Speaker of the US House of Representatives McCarthy, it will be another provocation that seriously violates the one-China principle, undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

After the first visit to New York, Tsai will meet with the President of Guatemala, Alejandro Giamattias well as the Prime Minister of Belize, John Briceno (Here is an article by Ants.net). Back in Taiwan, he will stop in Los Angeles, where McCarthy said he will meet with her, though talks have yet to be confirmed.

Tsai’s visit comes on the heels of Honduras’ decision to open diplomatic ties with Beijing, and to sever official ties with Taipei.

Prior to this, diplomatic relations with Beijing were resumed with Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica. But in addition to Guatemala and Belize, Taiwan still has official relations with dozens of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Paraguay among them. and Haiti.

Amanda Hsiaoa senior analyst with Crisis Group in Taiwan, explained to bloomberg That, after the visit, “Beijing will watch closely and calibrate its subsequent response. However, this does not mean that Beijing will respond harshly. I think it depends on how this trip is handled.”

Ja Ian Chungan associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore, believes that any Tsai meeting with McCarthy “puts the ball in Beijing’s court.” […] Beijing must decide how far it wants to respond. A little reaction can feel accepted. A response that is too strong can feel like an overreaction.”