Nachdem die KMT eine Delegation nach Peking entsandte, nun der Expräsident Ma Ying Jiu von der KMT zum Qingming- Ahnenfestival einen 12 tägigen Besuch in China tätigte und eine Reihe von Wirtschaftsdelegationen nach China folgten, besucht Tsai Yingwen nun die USA. Dazu sind im neusten Chinanwesletter Chinapolitan Newsletter vom 28.03.23des China- Instituts der Deutschen Wirtschaft (CIDW) folgende zwei Einschätzungen zu lesen:

„Zum China-Besuch Ma Ying-jeous – Die chinesischen Staatsmedien berichten seit einigen Tagen umfangreich über die China-Reise (27. März bis 07. April) des ehemaligen Staatspräsidenten Taiwans und direkten Vorgängers Tsai Ing-wens Ma Ying-jeou. Sina Weibo etwa wies auf die große historische Bedeutung der Reise hin, denn zum ersten Mal seit mehr als 70 Jahren besuche ein (ehemaliger) taiwanesischer Staatschef das chinesische Festland. In der Berichterstattung Taiwans würde diese Meldung hingegen weitgehend unter den Teppich gekehrt, so dass sie schnell in Vergessenheit gerate. Denn insbesondere die KMT befürchte, dass sich die Reise negativ auf ihr Abschneiden bei den Präsidentschaftswahlen auswirken könnte. Dabei gehöre es zu den historischen Errungenschaften Mas, dass er Taiwan und das chinesische Festland während seiner Präsidentschaft einander angenähert habe. Der Besuch Mas demonstriere, gemeinsam mit dem Russland-Besuch Xis, der Annäherung zwischen Saudi-Arabien und dem Iran, dem geplanten China-Besuch Macrons sowie der des brasilianischen Präsidenten Lula, wie sehr sich die VR China um Frieden in der Welt bemühe. Dies setze ein starkes Zeichen gegen das falsche westliche Narrativ „Demokratie gegen Diktatur“. Unsere Einschätzung: Der Besuch Mas wird in Taiwan sehr kritisch gesehen und wird sehr wohl in den Medien diskutiert. Mas eigene Partei, die KMT, liegt in den jüngsten Umfragen ohnehin schon deutlich hinter der Demokratischen Fortschrittspartei zurück. Deswegen sind die Befürchtungen, dass der Besuch den Wahlkampf im kommenden Jahr, der sicherlich stark vom chinesisch-taiwanesischen Verhältnis geprägt sein wird, noch weiter erschwert. In China hingegen wird die Bedeutung des Besuchs Mas ein wenig überhöht. Anders als es der Artikel suggeriert handelt es sich nicht um einen offiziellen Staatsbesuch. Ma wird sich (wohl) auch nicht mit hochrangigen Politikern der VR China treffen. Die Symbolik hinter diesem Besuch kann zu diesem Zeitpunkt allerdings tatsächlich nicht unterschätzt werden. Sina Weibo

(…)

Mögliche Folgen einer Wiederaufnahme der diplomatischen Beziehungen zwischen Taiwan und den USA – China Times befasste sich vor einigen Tagen mit der Frage, ob die Wiederaufnahme der diplomatischen Beziehungen zwischen den USA und Taiwan tatsächlich einen Krieg auslösen würde. Anlass der Berichterstattung war ein Interview mit dem taiwanesischen Parlamentspräsidenten You Si-kun, indem er seine bereits im Jahr 2018 getätigte Aussage, wonach er glaube, dass es innerhalb der nächsten zehn Jahre möglich sei, dass die USA und Taiwan offizielle diplomatische Beziehungen aufnehmen, bekräftigte. You sagte, dass er nicht glaube, dass dies einen Krieg auslösen würde, denn auf der ganzen Welt würden Länder immer wieder diplomatische Beziehungen aufnehmen oder abbrechen und noch nie habe dies einen Krieg ausgelöst. You hoffe, dass Taiwan in einigen Jahren wieder zum Mitglied der Vereinten Nationen werden könne und man die Verfassung so ändere, dass Demokratie, Freiheit und Rechtsstaatlichkeit dauerhaft gesichert würden. Unsere Einschätzung: Die Debatte ist sehr interessant, jedoch sieht es derzeit nicht danach aus, dass sich diese Haltung, die implizit mit einer formellen Unabhängigkeit Taiwans einhergehen würde, in näherer Zukunft durchsetzen wird. Laut den jüngsten Umfragen der Chengchi-University lehnt eine deutliche Mehrheit der Taiwanes:innen eine Wiedervereinigung mit China zwar ab, allerdings sind auch weniger als 5% der Befragten für eine formelle Unabhängigkeit Taiwans. Dies hat wohl vor allem pragmatische Gründe, denn die meisten Taiwanes:innen dürften sich des damit verbundenen Risikos deutlich bewusst sein. Auch seitens der USA gibt es derzeit kaum Bestrebungen, offizielle diplomatische Beziehungen zu Taiwan aufzunehmen.“.

.Interessant die Äusserungen des taiwanesischen Parlamentspräsidenten You, wonach es bei diplomatischen Beziehungen zwischen den USA und Taiwan nicht zu einem Krieg kommen würde. Vielleicht unterschätzt er da etwas. Ebenso soll die KMT trotz Schlappe der DDP bei den Kommunalwahlen , die Tsai als Referendum über ihre konfrontative Chinapolitik sehen wollte, hinten liegen. Ob das stimmt?

Der Chinaexperte der LMU Professor van Ess meinte:

„Na ja, könnte schon sein, dass die KMT sich schwer tut. Besonders die jungen Taiwanesen haben panische Angst vor China – und ob die Wirtschaftsvertreter dieses Gefühl zu drehen in der Lage sind, darf man bezweifeln. Das ist ja überall auf der Welt so, dass die Unternehmerwelt vielleicht 10% der Bevölkerung beeinflusst, den Rest aber nicht. Nur wenn die Wirtschaft nicht mehr läuft, werden die Leute plötzlich skeptisch.“

Vorgestern lief ein ARTE-Themenabend zu China.

https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/092183-000-A/taiwan-demokratielabor-im-schatten-chinas/

2 Filme über den Laogai und das Zwangsarbeits-und  Umerziehungssystem sowie die schwarzen Gefängnisse für Wanderarbeiter wegen des Hukousystems und Petitionssteller, die in Peking vorstellig werden- und dann den Uiguren und Tibetern samt Falungong- von Mao bis Xi, wobei man heute wieder zu alten Zeiten zurückgekommen ist. Scheinbar war Harry Wu da so eine zentrale Person für dessen Aufklärung, der aber inzwischen verstorben ist. Seltsamerweise hört man von Amnesty International in diesem Zusammenhang Recht wenig.

Dann 2 Filme über Taiwan. Zum ersten, dass 89% der 18-29 jährigen Taiwanesen sich taiwanisch und nicht chinesisch fühlen. Dann die Sonnenblumenbewegung, die 3 Wochen das Parlament besetzte, um das Freihandelsabkommen der KMT mit China dann auch zu Fall zu bringen. Viele sind heute in der DDP oder wählen diese .So auch Audrey Tang, Tsais Digitalisierungsministerin, die die erste Transgenderministerin der Welt ist und mit ihrer transparenten demokratischen Digitalisierungstrategie gegen Corona ohne Lockdowns internationale Maßstäbe setzte. Dann EYCTV, ein jugendlicher Fernsehsender, der sich über China und Winnie Xi lustig macht ,sowie Emily Wu, die international VIPs aus der Modebranche ,Film und andere Celebrities für Taiwan gewinnt. Auch scheint Taiwan am tolerantesten gegenüber der LGBTIQueeren Szene in Asien samt Parade. Vielleicht kein Zufall, dass der damalige schwule Münchner Neonazi Althans nach seinem Gesinnungswandel nach Taiwan gegangen ist. Dann noch Interview mit Taiwans Aussenminister Joseph Wu ,der meinte ,dass Xi die Zeit weglaufe ,da die jüngere Generation immer weiter von China wegwolle.

Gutes Argument. Differenziert auch mal genauer, was und wer die Taiwanese sind, auch in Hinsicht auf die Generationen, Sonnenblumenbewegung und Freddy Lim. Aber wie gesagt: Die KMT ist nicht nur eng mit vielen Wirtschaftseliten verbunden , sondern auch im Militär und Geheimdienstapperat. Deswegen reagiert die die DDP ja so irritiert auf den  Nikkei Asia-Bericht, wonach 90% der taiwanesischen Ex- Militärs nach China gereist und auch Infomationen gegen Geld getauscht hätten  und warnt auch vor einem neuen 228- Massakers der KMT. Denn wie sagte Mao auch mal: Die Macht kommt aus den Gewehrläufen. Auch mal moglich, dass die mit dem KMT verbundenen Witrschaftseliten, Militärs und Gehindienste sich nicht an solche demokratischen Regeln und Procederes halten. Robert Tsao, der taiwanesische Unternehmer und Gründer von UCN meinte auch, es gebe in Taiwan Kräfte die die Unabhängigkeit und Status quo verteidigen wollten, aber eben auch solche, die Taiwan kampflos China übergeben würden oder Taiwan von innen paralysiere  wolllten und die Stadttore quasi öffnen, um den Vernichtungen eines Krieges zu entgehen. Daher investiert er 100 Millionen US$ in die Luma- Stiftung, die Taiwanesen militärische Grundkenntnisse vermitteln und auf den Häuserkampf vorbereiten soll.

Eon weiterer Chinaexperte meinte noch: „

Gestern mit einem taiwanesischen Professor gesprochen, der große Angst davor hat, dass es schon in diesem oder im nächsten Jahr Krieg geben könnte. Er meinte auch, neun von zehn Generälen des taiwanesischen Militärs keine Lust auf Kämpfen hätten, auch weil sie glauben, sie würden das ohnehin verlieren, und dass sie der Präsidentin nicht besonders loyal seien. Anscheinend verstärken allerdings die USA Personal und Waffen auf Taiwan. Es geht also munter weiter.“

Allerdings. Nachdem der  neue republikanische Vorsitzende des US-Repräsentantenhauses Kevin Mc Carthy aus Sicherheitsgründen seinen Taiwanbesuch nach Drohungen Pekings vorerst absagte, besucht nun Taiwans Präsidenten Tsai die USA- offiziell nur als Transit, der auch nur Routine sei.

Die DDPnahe Taipeh Times spielt das Ganze als Routine, Rückreise von Zentralamerika, wo Honduras gerade diplomatische Beziehungen zu China aufgenommen hat und Transit runter und erwähnt die chinesischen Drohungen mit keinem Wort. Scheinbar hält Tsai ihre Rede bei der Ronald Reagan Libary und nicht an der Cornell-Uni. Will man nicht an Lee Denghuis Rede an der Cornell University und die damalige Taiwankrise erinnern?

„President departs for Central America

‘INDISPENSABLE ROLE’: Despite stopovers in the US, Tsai said the aim of her trip is to ‘demonstrate determination to deepen exchanges’ with the allies of the nation

• Staff writer, with CNA

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday afternoon left Taiwan on a 10-day trip to Central America that includes stopovers in New York and Los Angeles.

“Through this visit, I will express my gratitude to diplomatic partners for their support of Taiwan,” Tsai said at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport shortly before boarding the plane.

The trip to Guatemala and Belize — her first overseas journey since the COVID-19 pandemic began sweeping around the world in early 2020 — aims to “demonstrate Taiwan’s determination to deepen exchanges” with its Central American allies, she said.

Tsai said that she and her delegation would also explore the possibility of expanding cooperation with Taiwan’s allies and partners in the areas of agriculture, public health, women’s empowerment, the digital economy and supply chain security.

As Taiwan plays “an indispensable role” in the restructuring of global supply chains, it must work with other countries and contribute to the economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 era, she added.

The presidential delegation would stop over in New York en route to Guatemala and Los Angeles after visiting Belize, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Tsai is to arrive in New York at 3am today and spend nearly two days in the city, where she is expected to address an event hosted by the Hudson Institute and receive a “global leadership award” from the think tank.

On her return trip, Tsai is to touch down on Wednesday next week in Los Angeles, where she is expected to meet with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy and deliver a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

The president would be in Guatemala from Saturday to Monday and Belize from Monday to Wednesday, the ministry said.

She is to meet with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and Belizean Prime Minister John Briceno, as well as Taiwan’s technical missions and expatriates in both countries.

Tsai is to land in Taiwan on Friday next week, although the ministry has not yet announced her arrival time.

Despite a lack of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the US, Washington has over the years allowed Taiwan’s presidents to make stopovers on US soil during their trips to Latin American and Caribbean nations.

US Department of State spokesperson Vedant Patel said earlier this week that Tsai’s transits in the US are “consistent with longstanding US practice, the unofficial nature of our relations with Taiwan and US policy, which remains unchanged.”

However, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) yesterday told a news briefing in Beijing that Tsai’s stopovers in the US constitute an act of “provocation.”

Beijing would “resolutely fight back” with certain measures should Tsai and McCarthy meet, Zhu said.

The delegation traveling with Tsai consists of Presidential Office Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Chen Chern-chyi (陳正祺), among other officials.

The delegation also includes four legislators: Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) and Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) of the Democratic Progressive Party, Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) of the Taiwan People’s Party and Claire Wang (王婉諭) of the New Power Party.

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2023/03/30/2003796983

Das sieht die KP China jedoch völlig anders und droht mit Vergeltung, sllte Tsai Mc Carthy treffen oder etwas Falsches bei ihrer Rede sagen. Der Pelosibesuch wird als Game changer des Status quo gesehen, weswegen man den Tsaitrip nicht nur als Transit ansieht.

“China to resolutely fight back Tsai’s official contact with US officials

By Chen Qingqing and Liu Xuanzun

Published: Mar 29, 2023 09:46 PM Updated: Mar 29, 2023 11:33 PM

Tsai Ing-wen Photo:AFP

China on Wednesday warned of resolute measures to fight back if Taiwan regional leader has contact with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during her transit in the US, as China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the Chinese island, opposes the visit of the regional leader to the US in any name or under whatever pretext and opposes the US‘ violation of the one-China principle. 

While some Western media outlets said that the meeting between the regional leader Tsai Ing-wen and McCarthy has drawn anger from the Chinese mainland and touches a flashpoint in the US-China ties, Chinese experts said since the then-House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s provocative visit to Taiwan in August 2022 changed the status quo of the Taiwan Straits, the mainland has remained vigilant about any interaction between the US and the island and is fully prepared to take any instant reaction any time. Tsai’s trip will also likely draw firm responses from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), experts said.

Tsai left on Wednesday for a trip to Central America and she is scheduled to transit through New York first and Los Angeles on the way back, Reuters reported. While not officially confirmed, she is expected to meet McCarthy while in California, the media report said. 

„If Taiwan’s regional leader Tsai Ing-wen meets with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, it would be a provocation that seriously violates the one-China principle, undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as damages peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits. And we will take resolute measures to counter this,“ a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council remarked on Wednesday.

Tsai’s transit through the US is in essence a provocative act of „seeking independence by relying on the US“ and seeking opportunities to sell out the idea of Taiwan secession to the international community as well as solicit support from anti-China forces in the US, said Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

Some US media outlets noted that the trip comes at a sensitive time as US-China relations have been at a low point after the US blatantly shot down a Chinese unmanned airship for civilian use last month and has continued curbing China’s high tech development. Delayed high-level talks between Washington and Beijing also weigh on the already strained bilateral ties. 

„The attitude of the US and its level of reception are very sensitive. The DPP authorities understand that such a move is playing with fire but they have to be obedient to Washington in playing the ‚Taiwan card,'“ Zhu Songling, a professor at the Institute of Taiwan Studies of Beijing Union University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Given the overall political will and the anti-China hostilities inside the US government, Washington will continue playing the „Taiwan card,“ which won’t be helpful for the China-US relations, Zhu said. 

Monitoring closely

Despite repeated warnings from the Chinese side, the US has been making excuses for Tsai’s transit. For example, senior US officials were quoted as saying in media reports ahead of her departure that such transits are routine and the Chinese side should not „overreact.“ 

Some US media also listed the previous six transits of Tsai through the US between 2016 and 2019, while a senior US official said that the past transits had engaged in a range of activities including meetings with members of Congress. 

„A major difference is that since Pelosi’s provocative visit to Taiwan last year, the US has unilaterally changed the status quo of the Taiwan Straits. Since then, the Chinese side has been maintaining high vigilance about any interaction between the island and the US,“ Lü Xiang, research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

China will pay attention to any detail, small moves and every sentence if Tsai meets with US officials, and we believe that the US has felt such vigilance and China will react instantly anytime, Lü said. 

China has repeatedly protested against the US side on Tsai’s so-called stopover in the US. Past mistakes do not justify any new mistake. Repeating a mistake does not make it legitimate, Mao Ning, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told at a press conference on Wednesday. 

The trip is not so much a „transit,“ but an attempt to seek breakthroughs and propagate „Taiwan independence.“ The issue is not about China overreacting, but the US egregiously conniving at and supporting „Taiwan independence“ separatists, she said. 

The ones who are creating problems and making provocations are not China, but the US and the „Taiwan independence“ separatists, Mao said. 

The Chinese Foreign Ministry urged the US to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, earnestly deliver on its leaders‘ commitment of not supporting „Taiwan independence“ or „two Chinas“ or „one China, one Taiwan,“ stop all forms of official interaction with Taiwan, stop upgrading its substantive exchanges with the region, stop fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle, and stop undermining the political foundation for bilateral relations while stressing the need to put „guardrails“ on the relationship. 

„China will closely monitor the developments and firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,“ Mao said. 

„The US should not compare the past with the present as Pelosi’s visit stepped on the red line on the Taiwan question. Since then, the tolerance of the Chinese side has been largely reduced,“ Lü said. 

Military preparation 

Intensive activities of the PLA have already been observed shortly before Tsai’s trip, including those in the Taiwan Straits, the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

From Tuesday morning to Wednesday morning, 16 PLA aircraft and four PLA vessels were detected operating around the island of Taiwan, with 11 of the detected aircraft including an H-6 bomber escorted by fighter jets entering the island’s self-proclaimed southwest air defense identification zone, the defense authority on the island said on Wednesday in a press release.

In the East China Sea, PLA naval activities were reported by Japan’s Ministry of Defense Joint Staff consecutively on Monday and Tuesday, with press releases from the Japanese side saying that a PLA warship flotilla entered the East China Sea from the West Pacific on Sunday, and a PLA electronic reconnaissance ship entered the Sea of Japan from the East China Sea on Monday.

An amphibious landing detachment affiliated with the PLA Southern Theater Command Navy recently organized a flotilla consisting of the Type 075 amphibious assault ship Hainan as well as Type 071 amphibious landing ships the Kunlunshan and the Qilianshan in a realistic combat-oriented exercise in the South China Sea, the PLA Daily reported on Tuesday. These amphibious warships are expected to play key roles in a potential reunification-by-force operation on the island of Taiwan as they provide multidimensional landing capabilities, analysts said.

A brigade of the PLA Navy Marine Corps recently organized multiple types of armored vehicles including Type 15 light tanks, Type 11 wheeled assault guns, Type 05 amphibious armored vehicles and Type 09 self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery in a live-fire shooting exercise in an unfamiliar location, the PLA Daily reported on Wednesday. The Marine Corps is considered a main force in amphibious landing missions.

Fu Qianshao, a Chinese mainland military expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the PLA is expected to make countermeasures should she meet with McCarthy.

When Pelosi provocatively visited the island of Taiwan in August last year, the PLA responded by a series of large-scale military exercises that completely locked down the island of Taiwan.

This has deterred the „Taiwan independence“ secessionists and the US, so this time Tsai has chosen to travel to the US instead of having McCarthy come to the island of Taiwan, fearing an escalation in PLA countermeasures, Fu said.

However, this does not change the fact that Tsai’s trip still crossed the red line, and the PLA will still very likely respond, Fu said, listing enhanced combat patrols and military exercises as possible options.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202303/1288216.shtml

Und man prophezeit, dass Tsai Taiwan in eine gefährliche und zerstörerische Position bringt und es nach ihrem Besuch schwerer haben wird als ohne Besuch:

“Tsai will find herself in a more difficult situation after US transit: Global Times editorial

By Global Times Published: Mar 29, 2023 11:47 PM

Tsai Ing-wen Photo:VCG

 Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen kicked off a trip on Wednesday, claiming she is heading to Guatemala and Belize in Central America. However, it is clear to everyone that the centerpiece of the trip would be „transiting through“ the US. This is a trick she had played six times previously, and with her term soon ending, she appears to want to make one more last big play before the end of her political career. However, the public protests that „opposed the sale of Taiwan to the US and the collusion between the US and Taiwan which will harm the island,“ have reminded Tsai that this visit will only leave her with a „historical position“ of being a disgraced descendant.

On the path of seeking independence with US support, Tsai and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have behaved like desperate gamblers who have lost their senses. However, the problem is that the stakes they are gambling with are not just their own private assets or those of their party, but the livelihood and wellbeing of the people in Taiwan and even the fate of the island. An atmosphere of worries is permeating the island’s media, which is fearful of what kind of new instructions Tsai will bring back from her American boss. The island’s media described the trip as „strapping a bomb to Taiwan itself and pouring gasoline on itself,“ which shows that this is a risky and ominous trip.

According to Taiwan media reports, the DPP had hoped to achieve a „major breakthrough“ and even „seek a historical position“ through Tsai’s US transit. However, Washington „intentionally downplayed the visit,“ making it rather bland. For the US, it wants to turn the regional leader’s transit into a card against China, but is also concerned that it might become a hand grenade that cannot be thrown out if things go too far. The DPP authorities are in such a predicament. It is merely a pawn on the US chessboard, and Washington decides where to place it based on its own geopolitical needs.

Until Tsai’s departure, neither the DPP authorities nor the US side officially announced her specific itinerary, and all kinds of information were tentatively released via media. It can be seen that both Tsai and the DPP authorities, and even the US side, are wary and know that some things cannot be exposed publicly as they violate the rules. However, they cannot let go of their desire to do those bad things, so they appear to be sneaky and secretive. The White House claimed that Tsai’s „transit“ was of a private nature and that there were no arrangements for US officials to meet with her. We will wait and see if there will be a slap in the face on these claims.

The Chinese side has already made solemn representations to the US side on this issue several times. If Tsai has contact with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, it will be another serious violation of the one-China principle and damage to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a provocation that undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits. We firmly oppose to it and will take resolute countermeasures. The form and degree of the counterattack will depend on the specific circumstances, and the initiative is in our own hands. However, the final outcome will undoubtedly be that every provocation by Washington will be met with the Chinese side’s resolute countermeasures, and every act of „Taiwan independence“ by Tsai and the DPP authorities will result in tighter constraints on them.

There is one thing that can be told to Tsai in advance: When she returns after transiting through the US, she will definitely find a more difficult situation. What awaits her is not only the accurate countermeasures from the mainland but also the increasing vigilance and opposition from the residents within the island against her pursuit of independence with US support. She will also face a complete disdain toward her political manipulation while ignoring the livelihood and wellbeing of the people on the island.

It’s clear that the mainstream public on the island hopes for peaceful relations across the Straits, and there is deep concern about the tendency of the DPP authorities to trample on the red line and cause tensions to escalate or even start a conflict. As patriotic compatriots on both sides of the Straits are making the greatest effort to realize peaceful reunification, the „Taiwan independence“ movement is becoming increasingly unpopular on the island. An increasing number of people on the island realize that reunification is beneficial, „Taiwan independence“ is a dead end, and the US is unreliable.

Against the backdrop of increasingly tense China-US relations, the DPP authorities think they see an opportunity to seek private political interests, which is their biggest misjudgment. Prior to Tsai’s US transit, former US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien said he believes a Taiwan with 1 million AK47-armed citizens on „every corner and in every apartment block“ would be a fearful deterrent to the mainland during his visit to Taiwan. Such frantic remarks confirm that the so-called „porcupine strategy“ of the US to arm the Taiwan island is essentially a „strategy of destroying Taiwan.“ For the over 23 million Taiwan compatriots, it has come to a critical moment when they must keep their eyes open.”

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202303/1288247.shtml

Die japanische Ashashi Shimbum spricht gar von angedrohter Vergeltung:

“China threatens to retaliate if McCarthy meets Taiwan leader

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

March 30, 2023 at 14:05 JST

BEIJING–China threatened retaliation on Wednesday if U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets with Taiwan’s president during her upcoming trip through Los Angeles.

President Tsai Ing-wen left Taiwan Wednesday afternoon on a tour of the island’s diplomatic allies in the Americas, which she framed as a chance to demonstrate Taiwan’s commitment to democratic values on the world stage.

Tsai arrived in New York later in the day and was scheduled to spend Thursday in the city before heading to Guatemala and Belize. She is expected to stop in Los Angeles on her way back to Taiwan on April 5, when a meeting with McCarthy is tentatively scheduled.

The planned meeting has triggered fears of a heavy-handed Chinese reaction amid heightened friction between Beijing and Washington over U.S. support for Taiwan and trade and human rights issues.

The spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhu Fenglian, denounced Tsai’s stopovers and demanded that no U.S. officials meet with her.

“We firmly oppose this and will take resolute countermeasures,” Zhu said at a news conference. The U.S. should “refrain from arranging Tsai Ing-wen’s transit visits and even contact with American officials and take concrete actions to fulfill its solemn commitment not to support Taiwan independence,” she said.

Beijing claims self-governing Taiwan is part of its territory and threatens to bring the island under its control by force if necessary.

Speaking later Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China will “closely follow the development of the situation and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Mao said the United States was “conducting dangerous activities that undermine the political foundation of bilateral ties.”

McCarthy, a Republican from California, has said he will meet with Tsai when she is in the U.S. and has not ruled out the possibility of traveling to Taiwan in a show of support.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday that Tsai’s brief stops in the U.S. will be “consistent with our longstanding unofficial relationship with Taiwan and is consistent with the United States one China policy, which remains unchanged.”

“Every Taiwan president has transited the United States. President Tsai Ing-wen herself has transited the US six times since taking office in 2016, each time without incident,” Kirby said. “The People’s Republic of China should not use this transit as a pretext to step up any aggressive activity around the Taiwan Strait. United States and China have differences when it comes to Taiwan. But we have managed those differences for more than 40 years.”

Following a visit by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in 2022, Beijing launched missiles over the area, deployed warships across the median line of the Taiwan Strait and carried out military exercises in a simulated blockade of the island. Beijing also suspended climate talks with the U.S. and restricted military-to-military communication with the Pentagon.

Tsai told reporters before boarding her plane that “I want to tell the whole world democratic Taiwan will resolutely safeguard the values of freedom and democracy and will continue to be a force for good in the world, continuing a cycle of goodness, strengthening the resilience of democracy in the world.”

“External pressure will not obstruct our resolution to engage with the world,” she said.

Beijing has recently ramped up diplomatic pressure against Taiwan by poaching its dwindling number of diplomatic allies while also sending military fighter jets flying toward the island on a near-daily basis. Earlier this month, Honduras established diplomatic relations with China, leaving Taiwan with only 13 countries that recognize it as a sovereign state.

U.S. administration officials in a call with reporters ahead of Tsai’s arrival said her previous stopovers in the U.S. have included meetings with members of Congress and members of the Taiwanese diaspora. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive visit, said Tsai is also expected to meet with American Institute in Taiwan chair Laura Rosenberger. AIT is the U.S. government-run nonprofit that carries out unofficial relations with Taiwan.

One official added that “there is absolutely no reason” for Beijing to use Tsai’s stopover “as an excuse or a pretext to carry out aggressive or coercive activities aimed at Taiwan.”

Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the island’s decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they don’t support. Pelosi was the highest-ranking elected American official to visit the island since then-Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. Under its “one China” policy, the U.S. acknowledges Beijing’s view that it has sovereignty over Taiwan but considers Taiwan’s status as unsettled. Taiwan is an important partner for Washington in the Indo-Pacific.

U.S. officials are increasingly worried about China attempting to make good on its long-stated goal of bringing Taiwan under its control. The sides split at the end of a civil war in 1949 and Beijing sees U.S. politicians’ visits as conspiring with Tsai’s pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party to make the separation permanent and stymy China’s rise as a global power.

The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which has governed U.S. relations with the island, does not require Washington to step in militarily if China invades but makes it American policy to ensure Taiwan has the resources to defend itself and to prevent any unilateral change of status by Beijing.

Tensions spiked earlier this year when U.S. President Joe Biden ordered a Chinese spy balloon shot down after it traversed the continental United States. The Biden administration has also said U.S. intelligence findings show that China is weighing sending arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine but has no evidence Beijing has done so yet.

China, however, has provided Russia with an economic lifeline and political support, and President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in Moscow earlier this month. That was the first face-to-face meeting between the allies since before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago.

The Biden administration postponed a planned visit to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken following the balloon controversy but has signaled it would like to get such a visit back on track.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao said the blame for tensions lies squarely with Washington for boosting relations with Tsai. Beijing has frozen almost all contacts with Tsai’s administration since shortly after she was elected to the first of her two terms in 2016.

“It is not that China overreacts. It is that the U.S. kept emboldening Taiwan independence forces, which is egregious in nature,” Mao said at a daily briefing.

Tsai’s state visits coincide with a 12-day trip to China by her predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou, of the pro-unification Nationalist Party, in an appeal to voters whose descendants arrived with Chiang Kai-shek’s defeated forces in 1949.

Ma has been visiting sites in the former Nationalist capital of Nanjing and emphasizing historical and cultural links between the sides, while avoiding the politically sensitive topics of China’s determination to eliminate Taiwan’s international presence and refusal to recognize its government.

Tsai is barred from seeking a third term and her party is widely expected to nominate Vice President Lai Ching-te to run for the presidency in January.

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14873598

Krieg ist diesmal vielleicht noch nicht zu erwarten, zumal da China ja gerade seine Global Security Initiative auf der Boao Konferenz vorgestellt hat und sich als Weltfriedensbringer darstellen will, aber wenn Tsai Mc Carthy trifft oder in ihrer Rede etwas Falsches sagt, werden wohl heftige Drohmilitärmanöver folgen, diesmal nicht nur über der Mittellinie und der ADIZ, sondern auch über der „nautical mile“ ala last warning.