Skip to main content

Two Chinas? Sen. Blackburn calls Taiwan an 'independent nation' in visit to island

Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee countered decades of delicate political terminology on Friday when she met with Taiwanese officials and referred to the island as an "independent nation," in a move sure to upset China.

Blackburn, in a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and in a series of addresses online and in-person, referred to Taiwan as an independent entity. The U.S. government's official policy treats Taiwan as part of Chinese territory.

"We look forward to continuing to help and support Taiwan as they push forward as an independent nation," Blackburn told Tsai in a televised meeting.

Blackburn made a similar remark when she said, "I am looking forward to a wonderful visit. And yes, indeed I do remember my visit fondly in 2008, and the opportunity to get to see some of your country first-hand."

SEN. BLACKBURN IN TAIWAN: CHINA'S ‘BULLYING’ TACTICS MUST STOP, US MUST CURB CCP'S ‘AGGRESSION’

The People's Republic of China has long claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait, the relatively narrow strip of ocean between the island of Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. The Chinese military has frequently sent planes into the area, testing Taiwan's air defense zone. China considers Taiwan part of Chinese territory, while the island's government rejects those claims and has operated as a self-ruled democracy — officially known as The Republic of China — since 1949. 

SEN. MARSHA BLACKBURN LANDS IN TAIWAN FOR SURPRISE VISIT AFTER CALLING CHINA ‘NEW AXIS OF EVIL’

The U.S. does not have official relations with Taiwan — also known as the Republic of China — and maintains a "One China" policy that recognizes the People's Republic of China as the legitimate successor nation.

Beijing demands that countries seeking relations with China must sever all formal ties from Taiwan, though the U.S. has continued informal ties with the island government.

"I just landed in Taiwan to send a message to Beijing — we will not be bullied," the senator wrote online. "The United States remains steadfast in preserving freedom around the globe, and will not tolerate efforts to undermine our nation and our allies."

"One of the reasons I’ve come to Taipei to have these conversations with Taiwan’s leaders is because we can’t afford to let the Chinese Communist Party write the world’s foreign policy," Blackburn told her audience.



from Fox News https://ift.tt/VBhlewt
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

China reaffirms threat of military force to annex Taiwan

China on Wednesday reaffirmed its threat to use military force to bring self-governing Taiwan under its control, amid threatening Chinese military exercises that have raised tensions between the sides to their highest level in years. The lengthy policy statement issued by the Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office and its news department followed almost a week of missile firings and incursions into Taiwanese waters and airspace by Chinese warships and air force planes. The actions have disrupted flights and shipping in a region crucial to global supply chains, prompting strong condemnation from the U.S., Japan and others. An English-language version of the Chinese statement said Beijing would "work with the greatest sincerity and exert our utmost efforts to achieve peaceful reunification." TAIWAN SAYS CHINA MILITARY DRILLS PART OF PLAN FOR IMPENDING INVASION "But we will not renounce the use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures. This is to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

China's Sanya Island getaway shutting down its duty free malls amid COVID outbreak

Sanya, a top tropical holiday destination on China's southern Hainan island, began closing its duty free malls on Friday in response to a worsening COVID-19 outbreak . Since China shut its international borders in early 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19, Hainan's duty-free industry has boomed, becoming a vital channel for global brands from Gucci to Coach, La Mer to L'Oreal to reach Chinese shoppers. But Sanya International Duty Free City in Haitang Bay, run by China Duty Free Group and Hainan's largest offshore mall, shut for an undetermined period on Friday to prevent COVID-19 spreading, a post on its Weibo account said. BEIJING RESIDENTS ASKED TO WEAR MONITORING BRACELETS TO ENFORCE COVID QUARANTINE, PROMPTING OUTCRY This closure comes even though no cases in Hainan's current outbreak have been detected in Haitang Bay as yet. While the case numbers in China are small compared to the rest of the world, Beijing pursues a "dynamic zero" policy that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

China begins discouraging abortions and promoting fertility treatment as birth rate plummets

China will discourage abortions and take steps to make fertility treatment more accessible as part of efforts to boost one of the world's lowest birth rates , its National Health Authority said on Tuesday. Support measures from taxation and insurance to education and housing would be improved and implemented, with local governments encouraged to boost infant care services and family friendly workplaces, according to guidelines published on the authority's website. The authority said it would carry out reproductive health promotion to enhance public awareness while "preventing unintended pregnancy and reducing abortions that are not medically necessary." VIRUS TESTING THE NEW NORMAL AS CHINA STICKS TO ‘ZERO-COVID’ China's fertility rate of 1.16 in 2021 was far below the 2.1 OECD standard for a stable population and among the lowest in the world. The guidelines come as China's uncompromising "zero-COVID" policy of curbing outbreaks with strict co...
Post a Comment
Read more