China Reacts Angrily to US Ambassador's Visit to Taiwan After 42 Years

U.S. Ambassador to Palau John Hennessey-Niland
[Photo by AP News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] China strongly opposed the visit of the U.S. ambassador to Palau to Taiwan. This is the first time in 42 years that a U.S. ambassador has visited Taiwan since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China in 1979, which severed official diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Taiwan.

China's state-run Global Times said on the 30th, "The U.S. ambassador's visit to Taiwan shows that the Biden administration has inherited the Taiwan policy of the previous Trump administration." China has been diplomatically isolating Taiwan by emphasizing the "One China" principle.

John Hennessey-Niland, the U.S. ambassador to the Pacific island nation of Palau, arrived in Taiwan on the 28th for a five-day visit. Ambassador Hennessey-Niland accompanied Surangel Whipps Jr., the President of Palau, on his visit to Taiwan.

In response, China sent 10 military aircraft into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) the previous day to conduct a show of force. Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated, "The Taiwan issue is the most important and sensitive issue in U.S.-China relations," adding, "China firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan." He further warned, "We urge the U.S. not to attempt to cross China's red lines," and cautioned that "the peace and stability of U.S.-China relations and the Taiwan Strait must not be seriously undermined."

Meanwhile, in Taiwan, there is a sense of anticipation regarding closer ties with the U.S. Lin Ting-hui, Deputy Secretary-General of the Taiwan International Studies Association, told the Taipei Times, "This visit shows that the U.S. no longer considers exchanges between its ambassadors and Taiwan taboo," and analyzed that "the U.S. is showing an increasingly proactive stance in its relationship with Taiwan."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.