Travel To America Begins, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen: Outer Pressure Doesn't Block Our Determination

JAKARTA - Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen arrived in New York in a sensitive denial in the United States on Wednesday, vowing not to allow external pressure preventing the island from engaging with the world, after China threatened to retaliate if he met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

China, which claims democratically-ruled Taiwan as its territory, has repeatedly warned US officials not to meet President Tsai, who has been in his first US dispute since 2019, for considering it a form of support for the island's desire to be seen as a separate country.

Indeed, President Tsai is on his way to Guatemala and Chile, two of several countries that recognize Taiwan diplomatically. But, he will stay in New York until Saturday and will also visit Los Angeles upon his return from Central America. He is expected to meet McCarthy in California, although this has not been officially confirmed.

"The pressure from the outside will not hinder our determination to go into the world," President Tsai said before his departure at Taiwan's main international airport in Taoyuan.

"We are calm and confident, we will not give up or be provoked. Taiwan will firmly walk on the path of freedom and democracy and go to the world. Even though this road is tough, Taiwan is not alone," said President Tsai.

Taiwan's de facto embassies in the US confirmed Tsai's arrival in New York on Wednesday afternoon, saying no events were open to the press or public during its stop there. The video clip shows him being greeted in the city by supporters waving the flag.

Separately, the White House's national security spokesman, John Kirby, urged China not to use the "normal" stop as an excuse to increase aggressive activity against Taiwan.

"We are aware that the current situation is tense between the United States and China," Kirby said, but he urged Beijing to keep communication lines open.

Kirby said Washington still wants to reschedule the trip of Foreign Minister Antony Blinken to Beijing which was postponed last month, when a balloon suspected of being a Chinese spy was shot down by a US fighter jet.

Taiwan has gradually lost official recognition from more countries as it turns to Beijing. Honduras shifted loyalty on Sunday, leaving only 13 countries with official ties to Taiwan.

Beijing itself is known to say Taiwan is part of "one China" and, as a Chinese province, has no right to establish relations between countries. Taiwan denies this.

Taiwan is China's most sensitive territorial issue and is a major dispute with Washington, which, like most other countries, has only unofficial ties to Taipei.

However, the Washington Government is required by US law to provide facilities for the island, to defend itself and facilitate unofficial stop visit.

Chinese Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Zhu Fenglian said in Beijing that if President Tsai meets McCarthy, China "will definitely take steps to fight decisively."

Meanwhile, Xu Xueyuan, the Business Authority of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told reporters such gatherings "could lead to other serious confrontations in China-US relations."

"We have made a serious statement to the US on many occasions and clearly told them all the consequences must be borne by the US side," he explained.

It is known, if realized, the meeting with McCarthy would be the first between Taiwanese Leaders and US House Speakers on US soil, although this is seen as a potentially less provocative alternative, rather than McCarthy visiting Taiwan, something he said he hoped to do.

Two sources told Reuters that 20 or more US lawmakers plan to accompany McCarthy in his meeting with Tsai, which was originally planned at Ronald Reagan's Presidential Library near Los Angeles. The library has not confirmed the meeting.

Meanwhile, two other sources said Tsai would attend a dinner with Americans of Taiwanese descent and Taiwanese overseas in New York, as well as an event on Thursday with the Hudson Institute, a think tank in which the Taiwanese government is a significant donor, according to its annual report.

Meanwhile, US officials said President Tsai would meet with Laura Rosenberger, chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) headquartered in Washington, a US government-owned nonprofit organization that is carrying out unofficial relations with Taiwan.

Delighted to be received in #NewYork by our good friends AIT Chair @BoardChairAIT & Rep @bikhim. On top of that, the enthusiastic welcome from so many members of the #TaiwaneseAmerican community made my day & is a sure sign of good things to come for the rest of this trip. pic.twitter.com/sBWYIjCc7o

— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) March 30, 2023