Kevin McCarthy is planning a trip to Taiwan.

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China is warning House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) against visiting Taiwan after reports that the GOP leader is planning a trip later this year to the island, which is a flashpoint in the rising tensions between Beijing and Washington. “We urge certain individuals in the U.S. to earnestly abide by the one-China principle,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a statement Monday, indirectly referring to McCarthy’s plans, adding China is “opposed to any official interactions with Taiwan.”

The Chinese response follows a Punchbowl News report last week that the Pentagon is in the “early stages” of planning McCarthy’s visit to Taiwan, possibly this spring. McCarthy’s visit would mirror one by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) last year which also drew ire from the Chinese government and further strained tensions with the U.S.
Upon Pelosi’s visit to the Taiwanese capital Taipei last August, which came with broad bipartisan support, China responded with a massive show of force, including air and sea drills and a potential cyberattack on the Taiwanese government. Chinese officials called Pelosi’s visit “like playing with fire,” at the time.

Those drills have only increased in recent months, including a record number of Chinese aircraft drawing near Taiwanese airspace in December. That may have been in response to the Biden administration’s announcement of an additional $425 million in arms for Taiwanese defense, made weeks before. That sale has received bipartisan praise, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are pushing the Biden administration for more Taiwan aid.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3836 ... it-taiwan/

Supporting Taiwan is one of the few bi-partisan issues. We'll see how many Democratic House members join McCarthy's entourage, Republicans did join Pelosi's. Taiwan also has great economic value to the US as a major chip manufacturer.
Taiwanese companies account for 50% of the semiconductor world market. The biggest Taiwanese semiconductor company is TSMC (foundry). TSMC makes microchips for Intel, Apple, AMD, Nvidia, and Qualcomm.
https://www.shiphub.co/worlds-top-semic ... producers/
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Kevin McCarthy is planning a trip to Taiwan.

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Of course the mainland Chinese government will saber rattle and huff and puff. But, that is mainly for home consumption. You can bet the Chinese are keeping a close watch on the Russian and Ukraine conflict and how the western allies are responding.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Kevin McCarthy is planning a trip to Taiwan.

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TrueTexan wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:06 am Of course the mainland Chinese government will saber rattle and huff and puff. But, that is mainly for home consumption. You can bet the Chinese are keeping a close watch on the Russian and Ukraine conflict and how the western allies are responding.
However we intervene in the Ukraine conflict will serve the Chinese in how they will pursue their agenda with Taiwan.
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"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated!" Loquacious of many. Texas Chapter Chief Cat Herder.

Re: Kevin McCarthy is planning a trip to Taiwan.

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Rather consistent with US policy over the past 5 years. Not sure its the best policy, but I think the State Department knows a bit more about diplomacy than I do. This type of thing has stayed mostly consistent across administrations. Current doctrine started with Obama, continued and expanded under Trump. Like Trump the Biden Admin has put their own twist, but overall the strategy remains the same. Sometimes such consistency is reassuring. Even among all the infighting, someone is still consistently minding the store.

Each administration has made changes, but the overall strategy is to give overt support to Taiwan, send a clear message we will fight for Taiwan, and expand trade with Taiwan. The other strategic goal is to retard Chinese technological growth that can be used for military purposes. Trump wen after their meat & potatoes economic vulnerabilities, and much of that has continued under Biden. Biden has taken a much more focused approach with the microchip thing, and he has taken a VERY hardline stance on microchip technology.
“I think there’s a right-wing conspiracy to promote the idea of a left-wing conspiracy”

Re: Kevin McCarthy is planning a trip to Taiwan.

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sikacz wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 12:09 pm
TrueTexan wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 11:06 am Of course the mainland Chinese government will saber rattle and huff and puff. But, that is mainly for home consumption. You can bet the Chinese are keeping a close watch on the Russian and Ukraine conflict and how the western allies are responding.
However we intervene in the Ukraine conflict will serve the Chinese in how they will pursue their agenda with Taiwan.
Yup the PRC is closely watching Russia's war in Ukraine, as they look at a possible invasion of Taiwan. Taiwan is the island nation that they regard as a breakaway province that belongs to Communist China. Since Jimmy Carter's "one nation" recognition of Communist China and his "one China policy", the US has been caught in a game of how much aid and recognition they should give to Taiwan. Recall that during the Chinese civil war, the Komintang (KMT) or Chinese Nationalist Party escaped to Taiwan to set up their nationalist government under Chiang Kai-shek, which they called the Republic of China. Mainland Chinese took over Taiwan which has its own indigenous population which hasn't settled well. The Komintang Party no longer dominates island politics, the Democratic Progressive Party is now in power. Taiwan is a liberal democracy which is what we support around the world.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

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