By Peng Tao

Despite China's strong opposition and solemn representations, Kevin McCarthy, speaker of the US House of Representatives insisted on meeting with the leader of the Taiwan region Tsai Ing-wen in her "transit" trip through the US at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Los Angeles on April 5, local time. This seriously endangered peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, undermined the political foundation of and brought serious negative impacts on the China-US relations.

McCarthy's meeting with Tsai Ing-wen is a blatant violation of international law and basic norms governing international relations, as well as the one-China principle.

McCarthy's meeting with Tsai Ing-wen violates the commitment made by the US in the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and the US to maintain only unofficial relations with Taiwan. It also goes against the one-China principle widely recognized by the international community and confirmed by UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, as well as the international law principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries established by the UN Charter.

The three joint communiques are the fundamental basis of peaceful coexistence between China and the US. Only by upholding the one-China principle can China-US relations develop smoothly. McCarthy's meeting with Tsai Ing-wen against strong opposition from the Chinese mainland fully exposes the US's deliberate efforts to undermine, hollow out and distort the one-China principle. US’s blatant political provocation under the guise of "democracy" infringes on China's sovereignty, undermines China's stability, and seeks to contain China's development.

McCarthy's meeting with Tsai Ing-wen is a serious political provocation to China, and the DPP authority will come to nothing in seeking the US support for "Taiwan independence".

McCarthy's meeting with Tsai Ing-wen aims to enhance the so-called "Taiwan-US" relations and keep the DPP authority loyal to the US. It also aims to ensure US interests in Taiwan. Issues around the keywords such as "US pork imports", "protection money," "Boeing" and "TSMC" all led to the benefits delivered by the Taiwan authorities to the US. In order to demonstrate its so-called international presence and seek its own political interests, the DPP authority is taking the dangerous path of conducting secessionist activities by colluding with the US.

McCarthy's meeting with Tsai Ing-wen caters to political elections and aims to shift the focus of conflicts both in the US and the Taiwan region.

The 2024 US presidential election and Taiwan's regional leadership election are approaching. The Republican Party, represented by McCarthy, has recently been put on the defensive due to the "hush money" incident involving Trump. McCarthy's meeting with Tsai Ing-wen aims to escalate domestic populism by confronting the Chinese mainland. On the other hand, the US is currently facing serious issues such as inflation, dollar credit and debt crises, energy shortages, and a series of gun violence incidents. The Biden administration hopes to use the McCarthy-Tsai meeting to shift domestic tensions and relieve its own pressure.

The Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue in the US-China relationship, as it concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, involves China's core interests, and touches on the national feelings of 1.4 billion Chinese people. The one-China principle is an unshakable political foundation and an insurmountable red line in US-China relations.

The US should abide by its political commitments on the Taiwan question, fulfill the three China-US joint communiques, stop hollowing out the one-China principle, stop indulging and supporting "Taiwan independence", and stop playing the "Taiwan card" in US-China relations to avoid major crises between the two countries. The DPP authority should also realize that if they continue to seek the US support for "Taiwan independence" and work with the US in political manipulation on the Taiwan question, they will find that they stir up the fire only to burn themselves.

Editor’s note: The author is the deputy director and researcher of the Center for Taiwan and East Asia Studies at Central China Normal University. Originally published on china.com.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.