China Promises “Strong and Resolute Measures” in Response to McCarthy Meeting in Taiwan

China vows ‘strong and resolute measures’ in response to McCarthy-Tsai meeting

McCARTHY: US SUPPORT FOR TAIWAN ‘UNWAVERING’: In a rare display of bipartisanship, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and 18 members of Congress displayed a united front of support for Taiwan, as McCarthy hosted talks with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen in an uncommon meeting on U.S. soil.

The backdrop for an afternoon news conference was former President Ronald Reagan’s Air Force One at his presidential library in Simi Valley, California. In carefully worded remarks, Tsai said Taiwan seeks to be a “reliable partner to the world, a cornerstone for stability in the region, and a force for good.”

“In the discussion with congressional leaders this morning, I reiterated Taiwan’s commitment to defending the peaceful status quo, where the people of Taiwan may continue to thrive in a free and open society,” Tsai remarked.

At a news conference later in the day, McCarthy said, “America’s support for the people of Taiwan will remain resolute, unwavering and bipartisan,” and in a tweet afterward, he pledged to work in Congress to speed up more military aid to Taipei.

“Based on today’s conversations, it’s clear several actions are necessary,” McCarthy tweeted. “We must continue arms sales to Taiwan and make sure such sales reach Taiwan on time. We must also strengthen our economic cooperation, particularly with trade and technology.”

OPINION: KEVIN MCCARTHY FAILS TO PRESSURE TAIWAN’S TSAI PUBLICLY ON DEFENSE SPENDING

CHINA: US ‘CONNIVING’ WITH TAIWAN: Beijing’s reaction to the high-level meeting was to release an angry statement accusing the U.S. of conniving with Taiwan to promote the latter’s independence and threatening “strong and resolute measures” in response.

“This is a serious violation of the one-China principle,” said the statement from China’s foreign ministry. “It seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and sends an egregiously wrong signal to the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it.”

Beijing accused Washington of going down a “wrong and dangerous path” and urged it to “stop at once any form of official exchanges with Taiwan, stop upgrading substantive relations with Taiwan, stop creating factors that could cause tensions in the Taiwan Strait, stop containing China by exploiting the Taiwan question.”

“In response to the egregiously wrong action taken by the United States and Taiwan, China will take strong and resolute measures to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement warned.

While Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense tracked China’s Shandong aircraft carrier passing through the Bashi Strait to Taiwan’s southeast, and was watching three Chinese ships in the waters around Taiwan, so far, there have been no large-scale military exercises, like there were after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) visit last August.

BLINKEN: MEETING WAS ‘NOTHING NEW’: At a news conference at NATO headquarters, Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted U.S. policy toward Taiwan, including adherence to the “one China” policy, is unchanged and Beijing’s bellicose response is unwarranted.

“These transits by high-level Taiwanese authorities are nothing new. They’re private, they’re unofficial, but they’ve been going on for years … In fact, every Taiwan president has transited the United States at one point or another,” Blinken said.

“Beijing should not use the transits as an excuse to take any actions to ratchet up tensions, to further push at changing the status quo,” he continued. “And our objective remains the same: to have peace, to have stability across the Taiwan Strait, and to ensure that any differences that exist between mainland and Taiwan are resolved peacefully.”

BLINKEN WARNS CHINA NOT TO ‘PUSH AT CHANGING THE STATUS QUO’ OVER TAIWAN

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HAPPENING TODAY: Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks is scheduled to deliver keynote remarks at the 2023 War Horse Symposium in Chicago, which the Pentagon says will include a Q-and-A session with comedian and activist Jon Stewart. The Pentagon will livestream the session at 7 p.m. EDT at https://www.defense.gov.

CHINESE EU AMBASSADOR: NO LIMITS ‘NOTHING BUT RHETORIC’: An interview China’s ambassador to the European Union has given to the New York Times is raising questions about just how unlimited China’s professed “no limits’ partnership with Russia actually is.

The Chinese ambassador, Fu Cong, was quoted as saying China was not on Russia’s side in the war and that some people “deliberately misinterpret this because there’s the so-called ‘no limit’ friendship or relationship,” adding, “‘No limit’ is nothing but rhetoric.”

Fu also insisted that China has not provided military assistance to Russia and does not recognize Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territories, including Crimea and the Donbas.

US SKEPTICAL OF CHINESE DIPLOMAT ATTEMPTING TO DISTANCE BEIJING FROM MOSCOW

McCAUL IN TAIWAN: House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) is in Taipei leading a bipartisan delegation including Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA); Rep. French Hill (R-AR), Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Rep. Michael Lawler (R-NY), and Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX).

“The delegation will meet with Taiwanese business leaders, as well as senior Taiwanese officials from the executive and legislative branches to discuss ways the U.S. can strengthen our economic and defense relationship with Taiwan in the face of growing threats in the region,” McCaul said in a statement.

CONGRESS VISITS THE DMZ: GOP REP. WARNS OF ‘NIGHTMARE SCENARIO’ ON KOREAN PENINSULA

PUTIN: US-RUSSIA RELATION IN ‘DEEP CRISIS’: Russian President Vladimir Putin used the occasion in which he was accepting diplomatic credentials from ambassadors of 17 nations, including the U.S., to say that relations between Moscow and Washington are in “deep crisis.”

“Unfortunately, relations between Russia and the United States, which directly affect global security and stability, are going through a deep crisis. It is rooted in fundamentally different approaches to the formation of the modern world order,” Putin said, directing his remarks to Lynne Tracy, who was appointed U.S. ambassador to Moscow in January.

“Madam Ambassador, I do not wish to upset the positive atmosphere of the ceremony for presenting the letters of credence and I know that you probably won’t share my opinion,” Putin said. “But I must say that the use by the U.S. of such foreign policy tools as support for the so-called color revolutions, including support for the state coup in Ukraine in 2014, ultimately led to the current crisis in Ukraine and exacerbated the deterioration of Russia-U.S. relations.”

In a separate event, in which Putin met with members of his security council, he accused Western intelligence agencies of helping Ukraine carry out acts of sabotage, including on Russian territory.

“There are reasons to believe that the capabilities of third countries, Western special services, have been involved in preparation of acts of sabotage and terror attacks,” Putin said.

US DENIES PUTIN’S CLAIM OF INVOLVEMENT IN ‘TERROR ATTACKS’ AGAINST RUSSIA

The Rundown

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Calendar

THURSDAY | APRIL 6

9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Ways Ukraine can join the European Union within a reasonable timeline and with clear conditions for accession,” with Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna https://www.csis.org/events/conversation-olga-stefanishyna

10 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies “Aerospace Nation” event with Lt. Gen. Richard Moore, deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, U.S. Air Force; and Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, deputy chief of space operations, strategy, plans, programs, and requirements, U.S. Space Force https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/event/april-6

2 p.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW — American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research discussion: “Reconstructing Ukraine’s Infrastructure,” with R. Richard Geddes, nonresident senior fellow, AEI; Natalie Jaresko, managing director of EY-Parthenon; Matthew Murray, adjunct professor at Columbia University; former U.S. trade representative Robert Zoellick, senior counselor at the Brunswick Group; and former Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), distinguished visiting fellow in the practice of public policy, AEI https://www.aei.org/events/reconstructing-ukraines-infrastructure

FRIDAY | APRIL 7

9 a.m. 1957 E St. NW — George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs annual conference: “China’s Economic Development and U.S.-China Economic Relations” https://calendar.gwu.edu/event/annual_conference_on_china

11 a.m. — Washington Post live virtual discussion: “U.S. military readiness and innovation in a new international and technological era,” with Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), a member of the House Armed Services Committee; and retired Adm. Harry Harris, former commander of the U.S. Pacific Command https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live

WEDNESDAY | APRIL 12

8 a.m. 2401 M St., NW — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Cyber Media Forum breakfast-discussion with Nathaniel Fick, ambassador at large, State Department Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms

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