The United States has warned China against launching any military action on Taiwan during any visits of its lawmakers.
Wendy Sherman, Deputy Secretary of State, who stated this at an event, said the U.S. government was committed to supporting Taiwan including the country’s ability to defend itself under the “One China” policy.
“And we hope that the People’s Republic of China (PRC), does not use a visit by a member of Congress to Taiwan as a pretext for military action.
“The same would be true of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait,” Ms Sherman added. “And so, I urge all countries to tell the PRC: This affects me. This affects my people and my country. This is not a good idea.”
She, however, drew on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a lesson for China against any moves in the Taiwan Strait.
“But what I would say to all of those who are supporting Russia is that you’re going to end up with an albatross around your neck.
“That’s going to create a lot of problems for those who are supporting this unholy invasion going forward.”
In August 2022, Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House of Representatives visited the democratically governed Taiwan which Beijing claims as its territory. The visit strained the U.S.-China relations.
Following Mr Pelosi’s visit, China stepped up military drills around Taiwan.
Since then, a number of U.S. lawmakers have visited Taiwan, and speculation is rife that Republican Representative, Kevin McCarthy, who took over as House speaker in January, could soon visit the island, possibly in the spring or summer.
The strained relations between both countries deteriorated further this February after the U.S. military shot down what it said was a Chinese spy balloon that had flown across U.S. territory.
In May 2022, President Joe Biden had vowed that U.S. forces would defend Taiwan militarily if China attempted to take control of the self-ruled island by force, warning Beijing was already “flirting with danger”.
