Taiwan "Strengthening Military Exchanges with the US" China "Cross-Strait Relations Destroyed, Will Not Happen"

China: "The fact that Taiwan is part of China cannot be changed"

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen stated on the 21st during a meeting with a U.S. congressional delegation visiting Taiwan that "Taiwan and the United States will continue to strengthen military exchanges." China strongly opposed the Taiwanese president's remarks.

The meeting between the Taiwanese president and the U.S. congressional delegation took place amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and China over the issue of a "reconnaissance balloon."

According to AFP, President Tsai, after receiving the U.S. congressional delegation including Democratic Representative Ro Khanna at her office, said, "Going forward, Taiwan will cooperate more actively with the United States and other democratic partners to confront the expansion of authoritarianism and global challenges such as climate change."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Tsai said, "Now is the time to seek more opportunities for cooperation between the United States and Taiwan."

Representative Khanna stated that he came to Taiwan leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to expand military and defense partnerships with Taiwan and to strengthen relations with Taiwan's world-leading semiconductor industry.

He said, "We are here to reaffirm the shared values between the United States and Taiwan, the commitment to democracy, and the commitment to freedom." He also added his gratitude for the meeting with Morris Chang, the founder of the world's largest foundry company TSMC.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Representatives Khanna, Tony Gonzales (Republican), Jake Auchincloss (Democrat), and Jonathan Jackson (Democrat) visited Taiwan on the 19th for a five-day schedule.

Earlier, the Financial Times (FT) reported that Michael Chase, U.S. Department of Defense Deputy Assistant Secretary for China, arrived in Taiwan on the 17th. This marks the first visit by a senior U.S. Department of Defense official to Taiwan in four years since former Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asia Heino Klinck in 2019.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

China strongly opposed the visit. Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing on the 21st, "Taiwan is a part of China, and there is no such thing as a president," urging a correction in terminology. He added, "What we emphasize is that the 'One China' principle is the political foundation of China-U.S. relations and a universal consensus of the international community," and stated, "China firmly opposes the military ties between the United States and Taiwan and the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan."

Spokesperson Wang said, "Attempts and actions to divide and destroy cross-strait relations will only bring bad consequences upon themselves and will never be realized."