China stages military activity near Taiwan before high level US official visit to Taipei

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – China has staged military activity near Taiwan ahead of a Jan. 13 official visit to Taipei by US Ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, Just the News reports.

The three-day visit by Ms. Craft highlights a reversal of an established US policy to restrict diplomatic relations with Taiwan in order to maintain good relations with China: the Chinese government considers the island nation to be a part of China and opposes Taiwanese independence.

Although it has not said it is reacting to the new US policy, in recent weeks China has staged fly-bys and military activity, including assault training exercises and missile drills, in the East China Sea, JTN reports.

In a statement about the US decision to reverse its former policy on Taiwan, China’s foreign ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian said: “It is the solemn pledge of the U.S. side not to have official interactions with the Taiwan region. It should honor its commitment and not misinterpret or deviate from it under any pretext.”

However, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo explained in his own statement at the weekend that:  “Taiwan is a vibrant democracy and reliable partner of the United States, and yet for several decades the State Department has created complex internal restrictions to regulate our diplomats, service members, and other officials’ interactions with their Taiwanese counterparts.The United States government took these actions unilaterally, in an attempt to appease the Communist regime in Beijing. No more.”

During her three-day visit to Taipei, Ms. Craft will have meetings with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, JTN reports.

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