President Tsai: "We Will Firmly Walk the Path of Freedom and Democracy into the World"
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, en route to a Central American tour with a stopover in the United States, was warned by the U.S. government on the 29th (local time) not to take aggressive actions against Taiwan under the pretext of routine.
John Kirby, White House National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications, stated at a briefing that "this stopover during President Tsai's tour is a decision by Taiwan and is not an official visit, but a private and unofficial one."
He added, "President Tsai's stopover in the U.S. aligns with the long-standing unofficial relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan and the U.S.'s consistent One-China policy," emphasizing again that "China has no reason to react harshly or retaliate in any way."
Coordinator Kirby said, "All Taiwanese presidents have stopped over in the U.S. during their tours," noting that "President Tsai has stopped over in the U.S. six times since taking office, and nothing has happened." The stopover during tours has been a 'routine' practice.
President Tsai will visit Guatemala and Belize, two Central American countries with diplomatic ties to Taiwan, while stopping over in New York and Los Angeles (LA) in the U.S. In LA, she is expected to give a speech at the Reagan Library and meet with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. China strongly opposes this, calling it a serious violation of the 'One-China' policy, which holds that Taiwan and China are originally one.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has shown a stance of caution against escalating tensions between the U.S. and China, aiming not to provoke China.
Coordinator Kirby stated, "The U.S. and China have differences regarding Taiwan, but we have managed these differences for over 40 years," adding, "We still want Secretary of State Antony Blinken to board a plane to Beijing. There is much work to be done."
Earlier, before departing on the 29th for the two-country Central American tour at Taoyuan Airport, President Tsai said, "We are calm and confident," and "We will neither succumb nor provoke (China)." She continued, "Even if the road is rough, we will firmly walk the path of freedom and democracy toward the world," emphasizing, "Taiwan is not alone."
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