During his Pacific region trip Lai Ching-te had a phone talk with US House Speaker Mike Johnson which happened sometime this wednesday (the presidential office didnt share many details about this conversation)
China quickly fired back: their stance about Taiwan remains firm. “The Taiwan issue is the core of Chinas core interests and the first red line that may not be crossed in Sino-US relations“ – this was the clear-cut message from Lin Jian who speaks for Chinas foreign ministry
The journey of Lai Ching-te included stop-overs in Hawaii and Guam (both US territories). While in Hawaii he also spent about 20-mins talking on phone with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi; they discussed military-related topics. Its worth noting that when Pelosi visited Taiwan about 2 years ago China started big military exercises near the island
Sources say Beijing might start new war-games because of Laiʼs current trip. The Chinese govt keeps saying Taiwan has no right to act like independent state – but Taiwan doesnt agree with this position
- Hawaii stopover included talks with officials
- Guam became second US territory visited
- Phone calls happened with current and ex-speakers
- Beijing warned about “forceful measures“
China keeps asking US to stop what they call “wrong signals“ to Taiwan. They say theyll protect their territory no matter what; meanwhile Taiwan continues its own path