Taiwan’s top China policymaker on Wednesday said Chinese military threats would only drive the two sides further apart, as state media in the island’s giant neighbour warned of a strong response to a U.S. visit by Taiwan’s president.
China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has expressed anger at President Lai Ching-te’s weekend trip to Hawaii on his way to three countries in the Pacific that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taipei.
Lai, who is also due to spend one night in the U.S. territory of Guam on Wednesday, is making what are formally only stopovers. However, he spent two days in Hawaii where he met the governor, gave speeches and visited a World War Two memorial.
Security sources have told Reuters that China could stage new war games around Taiwan as early as this weekend in response to the trip.
Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Mainland Affairs Council minister Chiu Chui-cheng said Lai’s trip to consolidate friendship with other countries was something Taiwan’s public support.
“But the Chinese communists threaten Taiwan with military hegemony, which I think is something our citizens do not agree with,” he said.
“This will only cause cross-strait relations to drift further and further away, and which will not be helpful to ties in the future.”
The international community should take China’s military drills and threats seriously, he added.
Lai and his government reject Beijing’s sovereignty claims and say they have a right to engage with the rest of the world.
Content retrieved from: https://www.firstpost.com/world/taiwans-top-policymaker-criticizes-chinas-aggressive-posture-towards-taiwan-13841387.html.
