China Threatens U.S. With 'Counterattack' Over Taiwanese President's Visit

Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times' editorial team threatened the U.S. with carrying out a "counterattack" within a specific degree depending on certain circumstances after President Tsai Ing-wen's transit in the U.S. on her way to Central America to visit Guatemala and Belize.

Tsai, who arrived in New York on Wednesday, told supporters that Taiwan and the U.S. are closer than ever, Reuters reported. The Taiwanese leader is expected to meet U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles next week, an exchange that China warned could result in a "serious confrontation" in U.S.-China relations that have long been tense often over Taiwan.

Jonathan Ward, Founder of Atlas Organization and author of The Decisive Decade and China's Vision of Victory, told Newsweek on Friday that Tsai's upcoming visit with McCarthy might be a "moment long-remembered in 21st-century history."

Tsai's visit hasn't triggered any odd Chinese military actions, according to Washington and Taipei, Reuters reported. Still, Chinese media is heavily criticizing the visit and issued warnings targeting the U.S. and Taiwan.

"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," warned the editorial by Global Times. "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."

Though the U.S. doesn't officially recognize Taiwan as an independent country under its "One China" policy, it has vowed to help defend Taiwan in case of an attack. The United States' stance on Taiwan has often been at the core of its ongoing tensions with China.

Taiwan has maintained a separate government from mainland China since 1949, but the Chinese government doesn't recognize the island as an independent country and brands it as a rebellious province instead, and hasn't ruled out the use of military force to rejoin the island. Meanwhile, the Taiwanese government, which claims the island as its own territory, has repeatedly vowed that it will defend itself against any potential aggression from China.

America's support to Taiwan remains "essential" to the U.S. strategy in Asia as it has always been since the early cold war, according to Ward.

"Together we have weathered multiple crises in the Taiwan Strait, initiated over the decades by Beijing's military actions. Taiwan's security is essential to the broader military security of Asia, including that of Allies like Japan and Korea," he explained.

The Global Times reiterated its warning in the light of Tsai's visit, writing in its op-ed: "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."

Zhu Fenglian, the spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, opposed Tsai's stops in the U.S. and warned against her meetings with U.S. officials.

"We firmly oppose this and will take resolute countermeasures," Zhu said at a news conference, according to the Associated Press, adding that 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."

However, those warnings don't seem to have an impact on her upcoming meeting with McCarthy, who recently said, "I don't think China can tell me where I can go at any time, at any place" after Chinese officials issued a warning about his hypothetical travel plans to Taipei.

During her first stopover since 2019, Tsai told Taiwanese expats in New York during a closed-door speech about the island's security and economic achievements, according to her office which called the island in a statement on Thursday a "beacon of democracy in Asia."

"In particular, the relationship between Taiwan and the United States is closer than ever," she said, adding that there is "significant progress" in economic and security collaborations.

Chinese media found Tsai's stopover in the U.S. provocative, with China Daily warning in an op-ed that "there is no doubt the Chinese government will take necessary measures" to protect its sovereignty and national interests.

"The political posturing by Tsai and her Democratic Progressive Party in collusion with some US politicians carries high political risk, particularly given the volatile state of Sino-US relations and the high tensions across the Taiwan Straits," read China Daily's editorial.

The op-ed continued: "Beijing has repeatedly warned Washington against making such stopover arrangements for Taiwan officials and has been closely monitoring Tsai's transit through the US, given its potential for political turbulence and further worsening Sino-US ties and heightening cross-Straits tensions."

Ward warned that the U.S. and its allies should continue to stand strong in the face of Chinese intimidation tactics.

"Beijing has radically altered the balance of power in the Pacific in pursuit of its military ambitions—towards Taiwan and towards other land and maritime areas which it claims as its own," he explained. "In order for deterrence to hold in the Pacific, America and our Allies must make clear that Beijing's intimidation tactics will not decide our foreign policy, and we must ensure that a credible deterrent posture is prepared with the highest urgency."

Meanwhile, The Global Times editorial threatened that "[Tsai] will definitely find a more difficult situation" after she returns to Taiwan.

"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," said the Global Times.

China Daily also issued a stark warning to Tsai saying that "if she doesn't stop her provocative moves and continues to play with fire, she may end up burning herself."

Update 03/31/2023 2:30 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include Jonathan Ward's comments.