A spokesman for China’s foreign ministry said “some people in the United States” must adhere to the “One China Policy,” which means Taiwan is part of China.
Not by name
The spokesperson did not name McCarthy, but did respond to a question about the Speaker of the House. US media reported last week that McCarthy’s visit to Taiwan is in the works. He would like to visit the island state this spring, following his Democrat predecessor Pelosi.
When Pelosi visited Taiwan last summer, Beijing angered Beijing, which responded with large-scale military exercises across the island. It was the highest-ranking American politician to visit Taiwan for several decades. McCarthy expressed his support for Pelosi and announced that he would make the same trip if elected president.
The United States has formally cut ties with Taiwan for more than 40 years as the country seeks to improve ties with Beijing, but Washington wants to stop China from invading the island. The foreign affairs spokesman did not say how China would respond to McCarthy’s visit to Taiwan. According to China, Americans must “stop actions that violate the fundamental principles of international relations.”
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Japan
Illustrative of the growing tensions in the area is the news that the Chinese coast guard has cleared Japanese vessels from the waters around the disputed islands in the East China Sea. Both countries have claims to the islands, which have long played a problematic role in each other’s relations.
China calls the islands Diaoyu while Japan calls them Senkaku. According to the Chinese coast guard, five Japanese vessels had illegally entered the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands before being chased away.
“We urge the Japanese side to immediately halt all illegal activity in these waters and ensure that similar incidents do not happen again,” a coastguard said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.