Taiwan’s ambassador to the US welcomes new visits to the island

Aug. 19 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States, Hsiao Bi Khim, has welcomed new visits from “friendly” countries, given the tensions generated after the trip by the president of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, to despite warnings from the Chinese government.

“We are very concerned about China’s provocative, reckless and irresponsible actions that are extremely dangerous. But again, as victims of their bullying, we are not going to come out and say, ‘We don’t want friends. Stop visiting us,'” he said. Hsiao in an interview with the American media ‘The Hill’.

Along these lines, the high representative of the Asian island in the US has stated that China’s aggressive behavior in response to the latest visits by US political representatives will only bring the island closer to its allies.

“The more they intimidate us, the more friends we need,” he assured, before arguing that the Asian giant’s actions are generating greater international support for Taiwan. “They are the ones that are drawing a lot of attention and also, ironically, are promoting more sympathy and interest in visiting Taiwan from the international community,” she said.

Likewise, Hsiao has stated that, “if (the Chinese authorities) believe that the sanctions will restrict” their international relations or that they will “stifle” their “voices, they are wrong.”

However, the diplomat has made it clear that Taiwan must be prepared in case China strengthens its defenses. “We want peace and we will do our best to preserve peace, stability and the status quo in the region, but we also have to be prepared for the worst and that is potentially very dangerous scenarios,” the de facto ambassador stressed.

Pelosi visited the island on August 2 and 3 and argued that the trip was part of US policy. “It is one of the many made by parliamentary delegations to Taiwan,” he said in a statement in which he clarified that the United States “opposes any effort that seeks to modify the status quo.”

In this sense, he emphasized that it was a trip that was part of his tour of different countries in the Indo-Pacific, including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, and that it focuses on “mutual security, cooperation economy and democratic governance.

The Chinese government was quick to react and strongly condemned the visit. The Foreign Ministry has indicated in a statement that the visit sends “wrong signals to the separatist forces” in the region, which “seek independence from Taiwan” and has assured that it will transfer “its protest” to the US side.

Twelve days after Pelosi, a delegation of US congressmen landed on the island to discuss “bilateral relations, regional security, trade, investment, climate change and other issues of mutual interest.”

Shortly before the landing of the plane with the congressmen, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense confirmed that six warships and at least 22 Chinese combat aircraft have approached the territory’s maritime security line, in what it has interpreted as the umpteenth Beijing show of force.

Specifically, the Ministry confirmed that eleven of the fighter planes briefly crossed the median that separates the Taiwan Strait from its air safety zone, before turning around.

As usual, Taiwan responded by declaring an alert to its forces and warning the Chinese devices to leave the scene immediately, according to the Ministry’s statement, collected on its Twitter account.