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TAIPEI, April 4 (AP) — Taiwan has resisted threats of retaliation from mainland China, and talks between the island’s president and the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives are expected on Wednesday that will emphasize the island’s government’s sovereignty claims.
President Tsai Ing-wen is wrapping up a visit to Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic allies in Latin America, Belize and Guatemala.
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The most politically sensitive part of her trip will be her meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles as she transits on her way home.
China considers Taiwan its own territory and sees any interaction between U.S. and Taiwanese officials as a challenge to its sovereignty. Tsai Ing-wen is here to demonstrate that her government has international support.
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Belize and Guatemala are two of just 13 countries that officially recognize Taiwan, a number that has fallen as China has put pressure on Taiwan and poured money into isolating the island.
Tsai’s trip to Latin America comes a week after Honduras announced it was cutting ties with Taiwan in favor of China, possibly prompted by a Chinese company’s $300 million hydroelectric dam project in central Honduras.
Last week and Monday, China threatened to retaliate if Tsai met with McCarthy.
The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles issued a statement on Monday saying it opposed “any form of contact” between the Taiwan authorities and the United States
“The reality and status quo that both sides of the (Taiwan) Straits belong to one China is very clear,” the statement said.
China “will pay close attention to developments and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” a foreign ministry spokesman said at a daily news briefing on Tuesday.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it had never been a part of China and that recent Chinese criticism had become increasingly “ridiculous”.
“Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign state that has the right to make its own decisions regarding the development of its relations with the rest of the world,” it said in a statement.
“It does not accept interference or suppression by any country for any reason, nor will it limit itself because of intimidation or interference.”
The longstanding “one China” policy of the United States recognizes China’s claim to Taiwan as their territory. However, the United States does not endorse this claim and remains Taiwan’s most important provider of military hardware and other defense assistance.
Although Taiwan has maintained its own democracy since it split after a civil war in 1949, China has repeatedly claimed sovereignty over the island.
To maintain military pressure, the People’s Liberation Army sent 20 warplanes to Taiwan from Monday to Tuesday and three warships in the latest round of drills, a sharp increase in recent years.
China regularly flies warplanes around the island and at times appears to use the maneuvers as a show of anger.
In December, China sent 71 aircraft and seven ships to Taiwan in a 24-hour show of force after expressing anger over Taiwan-related provisions in the annual U.S. defense spending bill.
Last year, China conducted its largest live-fire exercise in decades in response to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, including firing missiles that landed on islands in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
The PLA’s increased military activity near Taiwan has raised concerns among regional governments, as well as greater international attention and vocal support for Taiwan’s defenses.
U.S. lawmakers have also begun visiting Taiwan more frequently as anti-China sentiment and concerns about China’s strategic position have grown in Congress. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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