News
President Tsai meets Kevin McCarthy
President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have reaffirmed the strong partnership between Taiwan and the United States and their commitment to safeguarding regional stability. The statement follows their two-hour closed-door meeting at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
Speaking after the talks, Tsai said the presence of bipartisan Congress members at the meeting and their unwavering support has reassured the people of Taiwan that "we are not isolated, and we are not alone." Tsai reiterated Taiwan's commitment to defending the "peaceful status quo."
And she also thanked the US Congress for proposing initiatives that help enhance Taiwan's self-defence capabilities, foster robust trade and economic ties between Taiwan and the U-S, and support Taiwan's meaningful participation in the international community.
This follows the last leg of the president’s trip to Belize. Prior to leaving Belize, Tsai visited a women's empowerment cooperation project exhibition, where she voiced her hope that women in Belize can realize their entrepreneurial dreams and economic independence to expand their career opportunities.
In response Beijing has announced the holding of a "joint cruise and patrol special operation" in central and northern areas of Taiwan Strait aimed at carrying out inspections of cargo ships plying direct cross-strait routes, which is in clear violation of cross Taiwan Strait maritime agreements and general maritime practices.
The council says Beijing's actions are a "deliberate escalation of cross-strait tensions" and "affect regional peace and stability" and will "adversely impact regular traffic between the two sides of the strait."
The statements come after China's state media announced that the "special operation" was being led by the "Hai-Xun 06," a vessel designated to patrol the Taiwan Strait. An undetermined number of vessels listed under China's maritime police agencies are also participating in the operation.
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense says a total of 20 Chinese military aircraft and three warships were detected in areas around Taiwan from 6AM on 3 April until 6AM on 4 April. The MND says one of the Chinese military aircraft that crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait was a high-altitude, long-range unmanned aerial vehicle, a Harbin BZK-005, used for reconnaissance. The MND has not revealed the flight paths of the Chinese aircraft, but notes that the military scrambled combat air and naval patrols, and deployed defence missile systems to track the Chinese military aircraft and warships.
