Did you miss the latest events regarding the renewed tension around Taiwan? Do not panic, 20 minutes takes stock every day, since the visit of Nancy Pelosi, American number three and president of the House of Representatives, which has largely cooled relations between China and the United States. Who did what ? Who said what? Where are we ? The answer below:
The fact of the day
Republican US Senator Marsha Blackburn has arrived in Taiwan, becoming the fourth US politician to visit the island this month, which is sure to anger Beijing. The US government jet carrying Marsha Blackburn landed at Songshan Airport in Taipei shortly before midnight for what the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry says is a solo visit. “I just landed in Taiwan to send a message to Beijing – we won’t be intimidated,” she tweeted.
Asked about Marsha Blackburn’s visit, Vedant Patel, the spokesperson for the US State Department, said: “Congressmen and elected officials have visited Taiwan for decades and will continue to do so. This visit is in line with our long-standing one-China policy.”
sentence of the day
“Orders placed on the mainland have all been cancelled. Our grapefruits have no possibility of being transported there. The customers are waiting for the pomelos, but we can’t do anything, it’s a political problem. »
These are the words of Ruisui, a farmer in Hualien County who ships 180 tons of citrus to the mainland every year. Like other farmers, he is paying the price for the latest Chinese economic sanctions imposed by China on Taiwan. Import bans that Beijing most often justifies by citing sudden irregularities rather than a direct link to politics.
The number of the day
28%. China remains Taiwan’s largest trading partner, with the mainland accounting for 28% of its exports.
The trend of the day
Beijing’s major military exercises around Taiwan have only strengthened allies’ resolve to visit the island democracy and show solidarity, Taipei Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said on Friday. make friends simply because of Chinese threats to Taiwan,” Joseph Wu said during a meeting with foreign media.
Proof of this is that while Beijing is rebelling against any diplomatic action likely to confer legitimacy on Taiwan, three American politicians have traveled to Taiwan following Nancy Pelosi. Another congressional delegation, led by Senator Ed Markey, visited Taiwan, as China continued its military maneuvers. Then, earlier this week, Indiana Republican Governor Eric Holcomb arrived on the island. Then here is Marsha Blackburn, who sits on the Commerce and Armed Services Committees of the Senate, and supports Donald Trump.
China has inevitably reacted with increasing aggressiveness to visits by Western officials and politicians. Joseph Wu said Beijing’s show of force was counterproductive and “there would be more” visits by foreign dignitaries to Taiwan: “Due to the military pressure China is exerting on Taiwan, more people than never before want to come and show their support. Many international friends have already let us know that they are very interested in visiting Taiwan and (their) goal is very simple: to show their solidarity. »