Conflict – China continues to send its warships near Taiwan

China sent warships near Taiwan for the second day in a row after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Friday that three Chinese warships passed through the waters around the island. A fighter jet and a helicopter were also recorded.

Taipei spotted three Chinese warships and a helicopter nearby on Thursday. China also imposed sanctions on Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States, Pei Kim Hsiao, on Friday, banning her from entering China. Beijing accused it of “deliberately provoking confrontation”.

The meeting place is also subject to penalties

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also announced sanctions against the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, among other things. Taiwan President Tsai and US House Speaker McCarthy met there on Wednesday. Beijing justified the sanctions by saying the facility “provided a platform and facilitated Tsai Ing-wen’s participation in ‘Taiwanese separatist’ activities in the United States”.

Tsai and McCarthy met in the United States near Los Angeles on Wednesday. Beijing reacted angrily to the meeting, announcing “firm and strong measures”.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could lead to a global economic crisis. “If a crisis erupts as a result of China’s unilateral action, the whole world is likely to be affected,” Blinken told Funk Media Group newspapers (Friday). “There will be a severe economic crisis.”

Blinking: Taiwan continues to receive US arms aid

Taiwan is of key importance to the global economy, Blinken continued: “Every day, 50 percent of the world’s commercial freight passes through the Taiwan Strait. At least 70 percent of the semiconductors we need for smartphones, dishwashers, and cars are made in Taiwan.”

The top US diplomat accused Beijing of toughening foreign policy. “We have seen in recent years that the status quo, which has brought peace and stability to the Taiwan Strait for decades, is no longer acceptable to the Chinese leadership.”

The US Secretary of State assured the Democratic Republic of the Island that US arms assistance will continue. “We are providing Taiwan with what it needs to defend itself against any form of aggression,” he said. At the same time, Blinken called on Beijing to settle the dispute amicably: “With regard to the relationship with China, we believe that all disputes should be resolved peacefully.”

Since the split between China and Taiwan in 1949, Beijing has viewed the island as a breakaway territory that it wants to reunite with the mainland – if necessary with the use of military force. (apa, afp)