White House says no reason for China to ‘overreact’ to Taiwan president’s US trip
The HillMar 29, 2023
On Wednesday, China warned against Taiwanese Pres. Tsai Ing-wen meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) during her tour of allied countries in the Americas, saying it would be "another provocation that seriously violates the one-China principle."
Under the one-China policy, the US acknowledges China’s claims of sovereignty over Taiwan but recognizes the island's status as unresolved.
Tsai is simply passing through the US, and her so-called trip is an unofficial visit, consistent with US-Taiwan relations. Any tension or military conflict caused by Tsai's visit would be an outlandish escalation on China's part.
China has made its case to the US about why meeting with Tsai would be a provocation, and if the two countries go through with it, they’ll be risking the lives and well-being of the people of Taiwan and undermining the "One China" policy. This trip, posturing as an innocent "transiting through," shouldn’t happen.
There’s a 68% chance that the US would respond with military force if China invades Taiwan before 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.