White House summons Chinese ambassador to reprimand him over Taiwan’s reaction

China show of strength The attack against Taiwan on Thursday included launching missiles into the sea and threatening the island’s territorial waters. Taiwan said China fired 11 ballistic missiles into waters off its northeastern and southwestern coasts, and Japanese officials said five Chinese missiles landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

The White House also reiterated to Chen that it wants to keep all lines of communication open and that nothing has changed about the United States’ one China policy, which states that there is one Chinese entity and no independent enclaves. But the White House also stressed that it found Beijing’s actions unacceptable and would defend its values ​​in the Indo-Pacific.

The meeting, which has not been previously reported, was between Chen and Kurt Campbell, Biden’s deputy assistant to President Biden and coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs at the National Security Council, according to a White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Share details of a private conversation.

China’s military operations increased on Thursday Tensions in the Taiwan Strait to its highest level in decades, raising fears of a serious miscalculation at one of the world’s most charged geopolitical flashpoints. Beijing has publicly expressed its anger Pelosi’s visit to Taiwanwhich it considers part of its territory awaiting unification, and US-China relations were already strained by disagreements over trade, human rights and other issues.

Pelosi: Why would I go to Taiwan?

Kirby said the White House highlighted a statement from the Group of Seven industrial democracies, which stressed that China should not use Pelosi’s visit as a pretext for aggressive military action in the Taiwan Strait. The White House also expressed support for a statement from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, calling on all parties to de-escalate tensions and engage in dialogue.

We have made it clear again as we have done privately at the highest levels and publicly: Nothing has changed in the one-China policy. We have also made clear that the United States is prepared for whatever Beijing chooses to do. We will not seek nor want a crisis. At the same time, we will not retreat from the action in the seas and skies of the Western Pacific, in accordance with international law, as we have done for decades – supporting Taiwan and defending the free and open Indo-Pacific.”

China’s state broadcaster CCTV said the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command conducted long-range live-fire exercises and “precision strikes” on the eastern parts of the strait. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said the People’s Liberation Army fired 11 Dongfeng ballistic missiles.

The White House sought to de-escalate tensions with China before and during Pelosi’s visit, which the spokesperson made against the administration’s wishes. White House officials warned earlier this week that China was preparing for possible aggressive actions that could continue beyond Pelosi’s visit.

The White House official said that all senior members of Biden’s national security team privately expressed strong reservations about the trip and its timing. They were particularly concerned because tensions between the United States and China are already high, and Washington is seeking China Cooperation on the war in Ukraine and other issues.

The official said senior White House officials have publicly defended Pelosi’s right to travel to Taiwan and to their counterparts in China, but even so, some of them still didn’t think the trip was a good idea.

China has sought for years to isolate Taiwan diplomatically. The Chinese Communist Party claims the island, an autonomous democracy of more than 23 million people, as its territory, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping has vowed to “reunify” Taiwan with China, by force if necessary.

Chinese Ambassador: Why did we oppose Pelosi’s visit?

But Pelosi doubled down on Thursday, saying china You will not succeed in bullying the island.

“They may try to prevent Taiwan from visiting or participating in other places, but they will not isolate Taiwan,” Pelosi said in Tokyo, the last leg of her tour. “They are not doing our travel schedule. The Chinese government is not doing that.”

At a news briefing Thursday, Kirby said the United States is responding to China’s actions.

He said the United States would conduct record air and sea transits across the Taiwan Strait over the next few weeks, and would take “additional steps” to stand with its allies in the region, including Japan, though he did not specify what those measures would be. Will be. Kirby added that the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its battle group will remain near Taiwan to monitor the situation.

Lily Koe contributed to this report.