Stop work in Pakistan Kashmir, says India after being urged to back ‘One China’

[American Pakistani]

What?

Speak English. And try to understand what's written.

No I will keep posting in bhindi.

Are you blind or something, daw?

 

[seesonic]

The U.S. government has opened a huge new facility in Taiwan, and China isn’t happy

While the world's eyes were glued to events in Singapore last week, the United States was holding another important — and controversial — diplomatic ceremony in Taiwan.

On June 11, the United States formally opened a new $255 million building housing the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto U.S. Embassy in the country. Moving the AIT from its crumbling 1950s-era quarters to the mammoth new complex was seen in both Washington and Taipei as a symbol of the U.S. commitment to Taiwan. Taiwan sent a star-studded, bipartisan delegation to the ceremony, including Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and her predecessor Ma Ying-jeou of the opposition Kuomintang.

“I offer you this [building], a tangible symbol that the United States is here to stay,” said Kin Moy, the AIT's director and a longtime American diplomat.

The symbolism was not lost on China, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province rather than an independent country. “The U.S., by sending officials to Taiwan under whatever pretext, severely violates the one-China principle and three China-U.S. joint communiques, interferes in China’s internal affairs and exerts negative impact on China-U.S. relations,” Geng Shuang, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said on the day of the ceremony. Another Chinese spokesman, Ma Xiaoguang, repeated the message the next day.



The spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office Ma Xiaoguang made the response in Beijing when asked to comment on a US official's attendance at a dedication ceremony of a new office complex of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT)



This symbolic gesture comes at a particularly testy time between Taiwan and China. Eight months ago, at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Taiwan to stay in line. “We have sufficient abilities to thwart any form of Taiwan independence attempts,” he said. Tensions have grown between the two countries since the election of Tsai, who has refused to recognize the “1992 Consensus” in which both China and Taiwan affirmed the “One-China principle.”

Since the Congress, Beijing has shown it is serious about its threats. Of the 21 countries that recognized Taiwan as a sovereign state in 2017, three have since reversed that position in favor of establishing diplomatic relations with mainland China. The most recent country to make the switch was Burkina Faso, which broke off relations with Taiwan in late May.

In January, China also shut down the website of hotelier Marriott International for a week after the company sent out a survey listing Taiwan as a separate country, prompting complaints from the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry that Beijing was “bullying” and interfering with “the normal operations of international firms with political force.” Since then, Japanese retailer Muji and American clothing company Gap have also issued apologies to China for designating Taiwan as a separate state.

Amid this growing “squeeze” of Taiwan, Shihoko Goto, the senior Northeast Asia associate at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, said the new AIT building takes on particularly large significance.

“The fact that the United States has invested so much money and effort to build this building is a concrete example of U.S. commitment to Taiwan,” Goto said. “It also means the United States will be there for the long haul.”

American institutions are already chafing against Beijing's tightening grip over Taiwan. In May, China issued a command calling on all airline companies to clearly designate Taiwan as a Chinese territory. Although most carriers have acquiesced, a handful of American companies continue to resist the order.

Beijing has yet to retaliate against these airlines, but the possibility of financial penalties could cause significant damage, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Similarly, it’s unclear whether China will react to the new AIT building with anything more than verbal reprimands.

“We take the Taiwan issue very seriously,” Zhou Jingxing, chief of the political section at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told The Washington Post, “and we will do what we have to do.”

@SOUTHie

 

[seesonic]

Taiwan confident senior US officials ‘like John Bolton’ will visit new de facto embassy soon

Washington declines to send senior figure to Taipei for AIT unveiling, as event clashes with Trump-Kim summit

Taiwanese politicians have high hopes that the United States will send cabinet-level officials to visit the self-governed island this autumn, despite it choosing not to do so for the unveiling of its de facto embassy in Taipei.

The dedication ceremony for the new compound of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which will serve as a US mission on the island as the two sides do not have formal diplomatic ties, starts at 9am on Tuesday in the city’s Neihu district.

Why new de facto US ‘embassy’ in Taiwan may further rock ties with China

The most senior US official to attend and speak at the unveiling of the US$250 million facility will be assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs Marie Royce, who is also the wife of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Ed Royce – a long-time advocate for Taiwan.







US Congressman Gregg Harper, co-chair of the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus, will be one of the guests of honour.

“We have to respect the US scheduling, since the AIT opening is their celebratory event,” said Wang Ting-yu, a lawmaker from Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and chair of the foreign affairs and national defence committee.

“But I believe there will be more and more US visitors to Taiwan in the future,” he said.

“Based on US-Taiwan exchanges, we can anticipate in the foreseeable future … political figures on the level of US secretary of state, or National Security Adviser John Bolton, or high-level former military officials, coming to Taiwan.”

No room for further uncertainty about the US stance on Taiwan

While there was talk of a cabinet-level official attending the event, once it became clear it would fall on the same day US President Donald Trump was to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, the Taipei ceremony, not surprisingly, lost some of its sheen.







Also, if the White House had dispatched a cabinet secretary to the event, it would have drawn the ire of Beijing, Taiwanese legislators said.

The ceremony was a potential flashpoint in China-US relations. Beijing sees Taiwan a renegade province that must one day be reunited with mainland China, by force if necessary. And while Washington has long switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, it has kept its commitment to the security of the democratic self-ruled island.

To avoid Beijing’s ire, Trump won’t send high-level officials to opening of ‘embassy’ in Taiwan

Several cabinet-level US officials were considered as possible attendees at the ceremony, but the US ultimately decided not to send any to avoid “stealing the media spotlight”, according to Lo Chih-cheng, also from the DPP.

“If they sent someone very senior to Taiwan, [mainland] China would not be happy and it could have had an impact on the Trump-Kim summit,” said Lo, who is also a member of the legislature’s foreign affairs and national defence committee.

“We accept this, but in September when the AIT is officially open, we hope someone of a higher level will come,” he said.

“Overall, the new office reflects that the US and Taiwan have had a long-term, stable relationship.”

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen will speak at the unveiling event, as will AIT Chairman James Moriarty and AIT Director Kin Moy.

US to send assistant secretary of state Marie Royce to Taiwan to open de facto embassy







In a congratulatory statement issued on Sunday, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the new compound marked “a milestone that reflects the importance of the US-Taiwan partnership”.

The US and Taiwan shared values and enjoyed close cooperation on a wide range of regional and global issues, she said, adding that the new building best represented the “progress in bilateral ties made over the past years”.

Taiwan’s military exercise sends three loud and clear messages – to China, the US and its own people

On Monday, Harper, who arrived in Taiwan on Sunday, said the fact the US had spent such a significant amount of money to build the new complex was a symbol of its commitment to Taiwan, and that Washington would continue to back the island.

The AIT began planning the development of a new compound in 2006 and construction began in 2009. The Neihu office was expected to officially open for business in early September, Moy said.



@SOUTHie

 

[seesonic]

Senior US politician calls for Taiwan’s president to be granted trip to Washington

Tsai’s high-profile transit visit certain to irk Beijing, with a call for overseas Taiwanese to return to serve the self-ruled island

A trio of pro-Taiwan US House representatives in California joined Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen during her stopover in Los Angeles with one of them calling on the US government to grant her an unprecedented visit in the US capital.

The three US House lawmakers, including Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce, the committee’s Asia and Pacific subcommittee ranking member Brad Sherman and Congresswoman Judy Chu, greeted Tsai in Los Angeles, the first transit stop during her nine-day trip to the island’s two South American allies.

How US Taiwan hands view cross-strait tensions

Tsai arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday night in a high-profile transit visit that is certain to irk Beijing, with a call for overseas Taiwanese to return to serve the self-ruled island.

The transit marks the first stopover for the Taiwan president after the US Congress unanimously passed the Taiwan Travel Act early this year, which President Donald Trump signed into law, allowing US government officials at all levels, including cabinet-level national security officials, to travel to Taiwan and high-level officials of Taiwan to enter the US.

During his remarks, Sherman revealed that the Taiwan Travel Act was aimed at encouraging Taiwanese presidents to visit the US capital Washington.

Sherman who called himself a “strong advocate for US-Taiwan alliance” addressed his legislative intention that “I want to see one of the highest level” of visits between the US and Taiwan and that is to “welcome you [Tsai Ing-wen] in Washington DC”.

Ed Royce, a Republican Congressman who helped ensure the passage of the Taiwan Travel Act through Congress, said “We’ve seen many positive developments in the US-Taiwan relationship this year, including the enactment of the Taiwan Travel Act”.

“By encouraging more frequent visits between our two peoples and governments, we further strengthen the critical US-Taiwan partnership,” Royce said.

Tsai was escorted by motorcade to a Los Angeles hotel where more than 500 supporters held banners and placards reading “Good luck, Taiwan,” and “Hello Ms President.” Pro-China supporters were on hand to denounce Tsai by hiring a small plane flying a banner reading “One China! Taiwan is part of China”.

An hour or so later, Tsai headed to the Culture Centre of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in El Monte where she met some 1,000 Taiwanese expatriates in a talk and persuaded them to return to Taiwan for work because Taiwan now has the necessary capital and proper regulations for overseas expatriates should they choose to work on the island.

Taiwan wants bigger defence budget to counter threat from Beijing

“This is a great opportunity that one should never miss. If you return, we will be responsible for hooking you up with Taiwanese society,” she said.

Tsai also said her first-ever talk at the premises of Taiwan’s representative office in the US was “a very important start” of a changeable policy. She did not elaborate.

Tsai was scheduled to give a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Monday, the first ever made by any presidents from Taiwan during their transit stays. She is expected to meet with some heavyweight US officials before heading to Paraguay in the evening.

Unlike previous times, journalists, including those who travelled with Tsai to LA, were allowed to follow her to all the locations for her public activities. This practice used to be barred in line with the old protocol agreed upon by Taipei and Washington that all activities by Taiwanese leaders during their US transit stays must not be made public and must remain low key.

“This is a breakthrough,” said Hsiao Bi-khim, a legislator of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), who followed Tsai on her visit, according to the Taipei-based semi-official Central News Agency.

Beijing has closely observed Tsai’s visit and observers said the treatment she is receiving would further infuriate the mainland. It has done all it can to make Tsai succumb to the “one China” principle, including isolating Taiwan internationally, staging war games near the island to step up military intimidation and suspending official communications and exchanges with the island. Tsai, of the DPP which opts for Taiwan independence, has refused to accept the “one-China” policy since she became president in 2016.

Beijing sends warning to Taiwan as it steps up military drills

“The one-China principle represents the universal consensus of the international community,” a spokeswoman at the Chinese Embassy in Washington said in a statement on Sunday. “Any attempt to create ‘two Chinas’ and ‘one China, one Taiwan’ will be opposed by all Chinese people and it does not serve the fundamental interests of the people in Taiwan.”

Taiwan has lost four diplomatic allies – Sao Tome and Principe, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Burkina Faso – since Tsai took office in May 2016. Beijing has also tried hard to woo Paraguay and Belize – the two Latin American nations where Tsai is making state visits, and which still have diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

@SOUTHie

 

[seesonic]

Taiwan President receives warm welcome in LA


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received a warm welcome in Los Angeles Sunday, Aug. 12.

Tsai arrived in Los Angeles Sunday afternoon and was then escorted by motorcade to the city's famous InterContinental Hotel. A Taiwan flag waved proudly beside the American flag outside of the hotel.

Crowds eagerly await President Tsai at the InterContinental Hotel. (CNA image)

Over 500 Tsai supporters gathered at the hotel to show their support for the President, holding banners and cheering "Good luck Taiwan" and "Hello Mrs. President," reported CNA.

Pro-China supporters were also present at the reception. A small plane was hired to fly the banner "ONE CHINA! TAIWAN IS PART OF CHINA!" (只有一個中國。台灣是中國的一部分).

Pro-China supporters prepare "ONE CHINA! TAIWAN IS PART OF CHINA!" banner. (CNA image)

A group of Taiwan supporters were also prepared to take to the skies, flying a small banner that simply said, "WELCOME PRESIDENT TSAI ING-WEN."

President Tsai was accompanied by Secretary General Chen Chu (陳菊) and Minister of the Overseas Community Affairs Council, Wu Hsin-hsing (吳新興). The delegation is slated to visit the Culture Center of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles and to hold a free dinner for over 1,200 second-generation overseas Taiwanese.

Over 500 people cheer on President Tsai in Los Angeles. (CNA image)

Tsai is on a nine-day trip to visit two of Taiwan's diplomatic allies, Brazil and Paraguay. In addition to Los Angeles, Tsai will have a stopover in Houston on her return trip, Aug. 18.


@SOUTHie

 

[MultaniGuy]

I laugh at the Indian who said India has better sanitation than Pakistan has.

We all know who has better sanitation and that is Pakistan.

Why do you think they made a slumdog movie about India. LOL.

 

[pothead]

Bharat mata again doing randi rona?

Good.

Heh, How The fark are you not banned?

And to the commies, stop begging us to recognize One China.

We don't.

We are all for Taiwan.
We will help them like u helped Pakistan. Deal with it.

 

[Areesh]

Heh, How The fark are you not banned?

And to the commies, stop begging us to recognize One China.

We don't.

We are all for Taiwan.
We will help them like u helped Pakistan. Deal with it.

Neither I am banned nor Taiwan needs your support. It would go back to where it belongs and there is nothing you can do about it.

 

[aman_rai0007]

Neither I am banned nor Taiwan needs your support. It would go back to where it belongs and there is nothing you can do about it.

Ya assholes like you are the highlights of PDF... Sucking 1400 years old Chinese cock

 

[Areesh]

Ya assholes like you are the highlights of PDF... Sucking 1400 years old Chinese cock

Stop crying and go f* k yourself

 

[aman_rai0007]

Stop crying and go f* k yourself

Abe ja be...

 

[pothead]

Neither I am banned nor Taiwan needs your support. It would go back to where it belongs and there is nothing you can do about it.

 

[seesonic]

President Tsai Ing-wen’s trip to South America
2 WEEKS AGO BY EDITOR

Written by Gerrit van der Wees.

In mid-August 2018, Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen undertook her fifth journey abroad since taking office. The nine-day state visit to Paraguay and Belize itself went very well: she was received by the top leaders of those countries, and on the way back made high-profile transit stops in the U.S. cities of Los Angeles and Houston.

A substantive visit to Los Angeles

From August 12th – 13th, President Tsai visited Los Angeles where she was welcomed by a gathering of more than 1,200 members of the Taiwanese-American community, attended by Members of Congress Ed Royce (Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee), Brad Sherman (Ranking member on the sub-Committee Asia & Pacific), and Taiwanese-American Congresswoman Judy Chiu.

President Tsai also enjoyed a leisurely lunch with US Congress members Maxine Waters (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Andy Biggs (R-AZ), and had bilateral meetings with New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, and Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), the chairman of the Senate’s subcommittee for East Asia & Pacific Affairs, who especially flew to LA to meet with President Tsai.

President Tsai also had a telephone conversation with US Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), who told the president that he would fully support the upgrading of Taiwan-US relations.

There were two further highlights during the Los Angeles visit: President Tsai paid tribute to the late President Ronald Reagan by visiting the Reagan Presidential Library, where she gave a public address, quoting the former President, who had stated after his 1986 Reykjavik meeting with Russian leader Gorbachev: “Everything is negotiable except our freedom and our future.”

The second highlight was an informal visit to the 85C Bakery, a popular Taiwanese-owned coffeeshop chain with branches in the US, Taiwan, Australia, Hong Kong and China. She cheerfully chatted with the personnel in the shop and signed a pillow for one of the workers there.

However, after the bakery visit became public, all hell broke loose when – in an orchestrated hateful harassment campaign – Chinese netizens lambasted the coffee chain and threatened to boycott its establishments in China. A couple of days later, the company felt compelled to issue a meek statement, declaring its support for “one China.”

Tsai’s office and many in Taiwan criticized the petty behaviour of the Chinese netizens and the politicization of the visit to the coffee shop. Later during her trip, President Tsai stated that Beijing’s suppression of Taiwan is damaging cross-strait relations and runs counter to China’s goal of becoming a respected nation.

Top diplomacy in Latin America

On the 14th of August, President Tsai departed from Los Angeles to Paraguay, the only remaining diplomatic ally in South America. Whilst there she attended the inauguration of the newly-elected President Mario Abdo Benitez, and visited a number of development aid projects.

From Paraguay it was off to Belize in Central America, one of the eight countries in Central America and the Caribbean with which Taiwan still maintains diplomatic ties. During her three-day visit there, she was greeted by Governor-General Colville Young, met with Prime Minister Dean Barrow and addressed the Belizean National Assembly.

At a ceremony held at the Museum of Belize, Tsai expressed appreciation for the honour bestowed on her, stating that the honour was symbolic of the firm relations between the two countries, as well as a token of recognition for the development of their partnership.

She added that for the past 30 years, Taiwan and Belize have maintained close cooperation with regards to infrastructure, agriculture, public health, culture, education and telecommunication spheres. She further expressed that she hoped to see the two countries continue to expand two-way ties based on that foundation.

The two visits thus solidified the diplomatic relations with Paraguay and Belize, and gave Tsai an opportunity to enhance the personal rapport with the leaders of both nations.

Return via Houston

On Friday, the 17th of August, President and her entourage started the return trip to Taiwan, first landing in Houston, where she was also accorded an official welcome, including a police motorcade. The local Taiwanese-American community hosted a large-scale banquet in her honour, attended by more than 1,000 people, including four members of Congress: Congressmen Gene Green (D-TX) and Al Green (D-TX), and Congresswomen Sheila Jackson (D-TX) Lee from Houston and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) from Dallas.

The highpoint of her visit to Houston was a tour of the NASA Johnson Space Center, where she visited the famed Mission Control Center – which directed all Apollo flights and Space Shuttle flights.

Afterwards, she toured the legendary Building 9, the astronaut training area, saw a Soyuz spacecraft and various space station simulators of the US, Japanese, European and Russian astronauts. It was the first time a Taiwanese President had visited a US federal facility.

Conclusions

The trip to Latin America and the stopovers in the United States show that the dual-pronged policy of the government of President Tsai Ing-wen is working reasonably well. On the one hand, she is attempting to stick to the “status quo” on Taiwan’s terms by maintaining formal relations with its existing diplomatic allies. On the other hand, there is a strengthening of the informal but increasingly substantial relations with the United States, the nations of the European Union, and other democratic nations in Asia.

These “stopover” visits have over time increasingly gained substance. Yes, the transits are formally designed to provide the travellers “safety, comfort, convenience and dignity.” But the fact that she made several public speeches, visited NASA and other high profile institutions, that the press was able to follow her and report on her activities, demonstrates that the, at times, rather bizarre restrictions which were previously imposed by the US State Department are fortunately a thing of the past.

These transit visits have in themselves become a symbol for the good relations between the United States and Taiwan, and of the high level of trust President Tsai has been able to garner through her firm, but moderate and low-key approach to cross-Strait relations. They provide a solid basis for further strengthening the bilateral US-Taiwan relations.

Particularly in the US Congress, there is an increasing number of prominent members of both the US House and Senate, who believe that Taiwan’s current predicament requires the United States to make stronger moves to enhance relations with the democratic island. They believe that the current “status quo” approach is untenable and argue for steps in the direction of more normal relations.

Together, these Senators and Congressmen present a powerful force in support of better relations between the US and Taiwan. As seen in the visits to Los Angeles and Houston, this is manifesting itself in enhanced transit stops and in the dismantling of anachronistic rules regulating the bilateral contacts and communications. It is a matter of time before this will lead to a strategic rethink of the old “One China” policy, and a move towards more normal relations with the democratic island nation.

Gerrit van der Wees is a former Dutch diplomat who served as editor of Taiwan Communique from 1980 until 2016. He teaches History of Taiwan at George Mason University. Image credit: CC by Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan)/Flickr.




@SOUTHie

 

[seesonic]

'No One Can Obliterate Taiwan’s Existence.' President Tsai Ing-wen Defiant on U.S. Trip

As China ramps up efforts to scrub Taiwan from international recognition, the island’s President Tsai Ing-wen struck a defiant tone Sunday and vowed that “no one can obliterate Taiwan’s existence” before departing for the U.S.

“In going abroad, the whole world can see Taiwan; they can see our country as well as our support for democracy and freedom,” said Tsai before her flight to Los Angeles, where she will stop en route to Belize and Paraguay, Reuters reports. “We only need to be firm so that no one can obliterate Taiwan’s existence.”

In recent months, China has doubled down on its campaign to assert Chinese sovereignty over the self-ruled and democratic Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway state. China has ordered foreign airlines and other businesses to stop referring to Taiwan as a nation on their websites, has excluded Taiwan from international forums, and pressured countries around the world to cut diplomatic ties. Just 18 countries now recognize Taiwan, with Burkina Faso and the Dominican Republic switching their allegiances to Beijing this year.

Arriving in Los Angeles on Sunday, Tsai addressed a group of Taiwanese-Americans before visiting the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. She will also transit in Houston on her way back. China had called on the U.S. to block her transit in the county.

In the run up to Taiwan’s local elections in November, Tsai is looking to reaffirm Washington support.

While the U.S. formally severed official diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979 to support Beijing’s “One China” policy, it still enjoys a “robust unofficial relationship” with the island nation of 23 million people, according to the State Department. The U.S. supplies Taiwan with major American-made military hardware, putting Taipei among the top 10 U.S. trade partners with $65.3 billion in total two way trade during 2016. In June, the U.S. also quietly opened a new $250 million de-facto embassy on the island the same day as the Singapore Summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Further adding to China’s frustration with Washington, the U.S. and China are engaged in an escalating trade war.


@SOUTHie

 

[seesonic]

Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen gave her first speech in the US in 15 years

IT WAS a brief fleeting speech made between flights — but it’s enraged a rising superpower.

As China builds on its attempts to wipe Taiwan from international recognition, the smaller country’s leader Tsai Ing-wen has given her first speech in the United States in 15 years.

She spoke of the importance of freedom, democracy and independence — words that fell at odds with China’s perception of Taiwan as a small part of itself.

At this stage, rising tensions between the two countries are the last thing anyone could want, with experts warning of a prospective major war looming in the region.

A CONTROVERSIAL SPEECH

During a stopover en route to Paraguay, Tsai Ing-wen — whose government refuses to endorse Beijing’s view that Taiwan is part of China — vowed to defend democratic values.

“We will keep our pledge that we are willing to jointly promote regional stability and peace under the principles of national interests, freedom and democracy,” Ms Tsai said in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

“In going abroad, the whole world can see Taiwan; they can see our country as well as our support for democracy and freedom.”

And then, in a fleeting reference to the mainland: “We only need to be firm so that no one can obliterate Taiwan’s existence.”

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during her visit to Los Angeles, California during a stopover en route to allies Paraguay and Belize.Source:AFP

A furious Beijing said it had lodged an official protest with the US over the speech, where she said Taiwan’s freedom and future were non-negotiable.

China views Taiwan as part of its own territory — to be reunified by force, if it comes to that.

The larger country is always swift to condemn any move that could be interpreted as de facto diplomatic recognition of the government in Taipei, and has stepped up pressure on Taiwan since Ms Tsai came to power in 2016.

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH CHINA AND TAIWAN?

Neither China nor Taiwan see themselves as two separate countries.

But they do have different governments, and the trouble is each side believes itself to be the owner of both territories, in a conflict that dates back almost 100 years.

In 1927, a civil war broke out in the Republic of China between the Communist revolutionaries and the Nationalist government.

In 1949, the Nationalists were defeated and fled to Taiwan, which their forces still controlled.

At this point the fighting stopped, but the dispute wasn’t resolved; both sides continued to claim both mainland China and Taiwan belonged to them.

In 1979, the United States switched its recognition from the Taiwan government to Beijing’s. A number of other countries — including Australia — followed suit, and it’s understood no American leader has communicated openly with a Taiwanese president since.

China and Taiwan have had separate governments since 1949.Source:AFP

Ties between Taiwan and the US have warmed further since Donald Trump came to power, and were further bolstered by the passage this week of the National Defence Authorisation Act, which includes a commitment to military support of Taiwan.

Last month, the US sent two warships into the Taiwan Strait. That followed a string of military drills staged by Beijing around the island.

Chinese state newspaper Global Times accused the US and Taiwan of “shady dealings”, warning that the mainland was capable of giving the Taiwanese authorities “a drastic punishment”.

Meanwhile, the US has repeatedly expressed concern about China’s increasing pressure on Taiwan.

US DEFENDS ONE CHINA POLICY

Mr Trump has denied any change to its “One China” policy.

State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the speech did not represent any move by the Trump administration to alter the official US stance that accepts Beijing as the sole government of China, and does not officially recognise Taiwan’s government.

“The United States in regard to this trip facilitates from time to time representatives of the Taiwan authorities to transit the United States.

“Those are largely undertaken out of consideration for the safety and the comfort of those travellers, and that is in keeping with our One China policy.”

President Donald Trump has denied any changes to America’s “One China” policy.Source:AP

Yet previous US administrations have prevented Taiwan leaders from making speeches in the United States that would implicitly elevate their diplomatic status and irk Beijing.

TENSIONS ARE ON THE RISE

Tsai’s stopover came amid a rise in tensions between China and Taiwan that has raised concerns in Washington.

In April the Chinese military held live-fire exercises in the Taiwan Strait in what was widely seen as a move to intimidate Taipei.

In Singapore in June, US Secretary of Defence James Mattis warned China not to alter the security status quo in the region.

Beijing has cracked down on Taiwan’s attempts to assert itself as an autonomous independent nation.Source:AFP

Last month, Beijing forced several international airlines, including US carriers, to begin listing Taiwan as a part of China in advertising their services.

Dr Brendan Taylor, Associate Professor at ANU Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, argued that Taiwan was one of the most dangerous crossroads for a prospective new major war.

In his new book, The Four Flashpoints: How Asia Goes to War, he describes Taiwan as a “ticking time bomb”.

“America’s military ability to defend Taiwan is already at its limit,” he writes. “The US advantage will likely be gone in a decade … allowing Beijing to deny America access to this theatre.

“America’s ability to intervene in the Taiwan Strait is receding, while an attempt to re-engage carries the risk of sparking a war like no other.”


@SOUTHie