The Chinese government is warning the U.S. that it is "resolutely opposed" to the U.S. Taiwan Travel Bill that was unanimously passed by the United States Senate on Wednesday.
The bill, which previously passed the House of Representatives in January, states that it should be U.S. policy to "(1) allow U.S. officials at all levels to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts; (2) permit high-level Taiwanese officials to enter the United States under respectful conditions and to meet with U.S. officials, including officials from the Departments of State and Defense; and (3) encourage the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office and any other instrumentality established by Taiwan to conduct business in the United States."
"[The bill] seriously violates the one-China principle and the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, and we are firmly against the act," said An Fengshan, spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, according to a report in Chinese News Portal Xinhua.net.
An also had strong words for Taiwan, saying, "We sternly warn Taiwan not to rely on foreigners to build you up, or it will only draw fire against yourself."
According to Reuters, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying said that "China is strongly dissatisfied with this [bill] and resolutely opposes it, and has already lodged stern representations with the U.S. side."
At issue is what's known as the one-China policy, which Hua said is the "principle for China U.S. ties."
Under the one-China policy, China and its allies, like the United States, consider Taiwan to be a breakaway state and not an independent nation.
While China fumes, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry has thanked the U.S. government for its support for its "increasingly friendly" stance toward Taiwan.
"The Foreign Ministry will keep developing an even more substantive cooperative relationship with the United States, to promote both sides' joint values and mutually-beneficial interests," said the ministry in a statement.
Relations between China and Taiwan have become increasingly contentious in recent months. In January, the Shanghai Cyberspace Administration shut down Marriott's China website, after the hotelier was warned to stop listing Chinese-claimed regions such as Tibet and Taiwan as separate entities. In February, several airlines had to cease flying select routes during the busy lunar year season, after China established new flight routes along the Taiwan Strait without Taiwan's approval.
The U.S. Taiwan Travel Bill now awaits the signature of President Donald Trump before it becomes law of the land. The White House has not commented on whether the president will sign the bill, but experts say that he is unlikely to veto a bill that received unanimous support in the House and the Senate.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
