Beijing, Aug 13 (EFE).- China on Sunday condemned the transit stops in the United States that Taiwan\u2019s Vice President William Lai Ching-te is scheduled to make during his trip to Paraguay and threatened to \u201ctake resolute and strong measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lai will make a stopover in New York on his way to Paraguay – one of the 13 countries that maintain official ties with Taiwan -, to attend President-elect Santiago Pe\u00f1a\u2019s inauguration ceremony and will visit San Francisco on the way back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the Taiwan region. We firmly oppose any visit by \u2018Taiwan independence\u2019 separatists to the US in any name or under whatever pretext…China deplores and strongly condemns the US decision to arrange the so-called ‘stopover’ for Lai Ching-te,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Describing Lai, who is Taiwan’s ruling party\u2019s presidential candidate in the upcoming election, as a \u201ctroublemaker\u201d the ministry accused the US and Taiwanese authorities of arranging for Lai \u201cto engage in political activities in the US in the name of having a \u2018stopover\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This seriously violates the one-China principle, gravely undermines China\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The fact once again shows that the fundamental cause of the continued tensions in the Taiwan Strait is the Taiwan authorities\u2019 attempt to solicit US support for ‘Taiwan independence’ and that the US are bent on using Taiwan to contain China,” the ministry added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The spokesperson urged the US to “stop all forms of official interaction with Taiwan” and \u201cstop conniving at and supporting ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“China is closely following the developments of the situation and will take resolute and strong measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity,\u201d the spokesperson concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taipei has tried to downplay Lai’s stopovers and asked Beijing not to overreact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In April, China staged three-day military drills after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California while returning from a trip to Guatemala and Belize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Taiwanese government, China may hold maneuvers near Taiwan next week, using the stopover as a pretext to \u201cintimidate\u201d voters ahead of next year’s elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tensions between Taipei and Beijing escalated last summer on account of the visit of then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chinese military planes have constantly crossed the median of the Taiwan Strait since that trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, a territory it considers a “rebel province” since Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) forces withdrew there in 1949 after losing the civil war with the Communists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The self-ruled island is one of the key sources of tension between China and the US, mainly because Washington is Taipei\u2019s key arms supplier and could be its greatest military ally in the event of a war with China. EFE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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