Comment The White House summoned China’s ambassador Thursday to condemn Beijing’s escalating actions against Taiwan and reiterate that the United States does not want a crisis in the region, following a visit to the island by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif. .) which escalated tensions. in the Taiwan Straits this week. “After China’s actions overnight, we called [People’s Republic of China] Ambassador Qin Gang to the White House to brief him on the DPRK’s provocative actions,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a statement provided to the Washington Post. “We condemned the DPRK’s military actions, which are irresponsible and contrary to our long-standing goal of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.” A protest is a protest filed through the diplomatic channel. China’s show of force against Taiwan on Thursday included launching missiles into the sea and threatening the island’s territorial waters. Taiwan said China fired 11 ballistic missiles into waters off its northeastern and southwestern coasts, and Japanese officials said five Chinese missiles landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone. The White House also reiterated to Chin that it wants to keep all lines of communication open and that nothing has changed in the United States’ one-China policy, which states that there is a single Chinese entity rather than independent enclaves. But the White House also stressed that it found Beijing’s actions unacceptable and would defend its values in the Indo-Pacific. The meeting, which has not been previously reported, was between Qin and Kurt Campbell, deputy assistant to President Biden and coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs at the National Security Council, according to a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. of anonymity. share details of a private conversation. China’s military actions on Thursday raised tensions across the Taiwan Strait to their highest level in decades, raising fears of a dangerous miscalculation in one of the world’s most charged geopolitical flashpoints. Beijing has openly expressed anger over Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, which it considers part of its territory awaiting unification, and US-China relations have already been strained over trade, human rights and other issues. . Pelosi: Why I’m Visiting Taiwan The White House highlighted to China a statement from the Group of Seven industrialized nations, Kirby said, which emphasized that China should not use Pelosi’s visit as a pretext for aggressive military action in the Taiwan Strait. The White House also expressed support for a statement by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, which called on all sides to de-escalate tensions and start dialogue. “We have made it clear once again, as we have done privately at the highest levels and publicly: Nothing has changed about our one-China policy. We also made it clear that the United States is prepared for whatever Beijing chooses to do,” Kirby said. “We will not seek and will not want a crisis. At the same time, we will not be deterred from operating in the seas and skies of the Western Pacific, in accordance with international law, as we have done for decades — supporting Taiwan and defending a free and open Indo-Pacific.” Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted long-range drills, with live fire and “precision strikes” in the eastern parts of the strait. Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said the PLA fired 11 Dongfeng ballistic missiles. The White House sought to de-escalate tensions with China before and during Pelosi’s visit, which the speaker undertook against the administration’s wishes. White House officials warned earlier this week that China is bracing for possible aggression that could continue long after Pelosi’s visit. Nearly all senior members of Biden’s national security team had privately expressed deep reservations about his trip and timing, the White House official said. They were particularly worried because US-China tensions are already high and Washington is seeking China’s cooperation in the war in Ukraine and other issues. Top White House officials have defended Pelosi’s right to travel to Taiwan both publicly and to their counterparts in China, but even so, some of them still don’t think the trip was a good idea, the official said. China has sought for years to isolate Taiwan diplomatically. The Chinese Communist Party claims the island, a self-governing republic home to more than 23 million people, as its territory, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping has vowed to “reunify” Taiwan with China, by force if necessary. Chinese ambassador: Why we opposed Pelosi’s visit But Pelosi doubled down on Thursday, saying China would not succeed in bullying the island. “They may try to prevent Taiwan from visiting or participating in other places, but they will not isolate Taiwan,” Pelosi said in Tokyo, the last stop on her tour. “They don’t schedule our trips. The Chinese government doesn’t do that.” At a news conference Thursday, Kirby said the United States is responding to China’s actions. The United States will conduct routine air and sea crossings through the Taiwan Strait in the coming weeks, he said, and will take “further steps” to stand with its allies in the region, including Japan, though he did not specify what those would be. actions wish to be. The aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan and its battle group will remain near Taiwan to monitor the situation, Kirby added. Lily Kuo contributed to this report.
