Blinken says the passing of a Taiwanese official should not be an “excuse for provocations” by China

The head of US diplomacy on Monday urged not to take on China.An excuse for provocations» Taiwan Vice President William Lai transits through the United States during his visit to Paraguay.

“There is no reason for the People’s Republic of China to use this transit as an excuse for provocationsU.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said this type of shutdown in the U.S.Very typical“.

Beijing is furious

Taiwan said on Monday that its Vice President, William Lai, would be stationed in the US territory to attend the inauguration of Paraguay’s new president, Santiago Pena, in August. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has already made a trip through the United States on her way to Guatemala and Belize, where she is going to strengthen the island’s diplomatic ties. Stopping in New York on the way out and Los Angeles on the way back, Tsai Ing-wen met the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, for the second time. The meeting angered Beijing, which retaliated with several days of military exercises around Taiwan. Chinese officials have claimed Taiwan as one of their territories for decades and have tried to convince countries friendly to Taipei to abandon their alliances in favor of Beijing. Paraguay is one of the few Latin American countries that still recognizes Taiwan. Its president-elect Santiago Pena, who visited Taipei last week, said on Wednesday his country would stand by.together withDuring Taiwan’s five-year tenure.

William Law’s visit to Asuncion next month”To show the importance of Taiwan’s diplomatic relations with ParaguayTaiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Yu said on Monday. “Taiwan vice presidents have passed through the US ten times before (…) There is no justification for unnecessary intimidation“He responded to a question about the possibility of Chinese military exercises in response to this transit through the United States. William Lai last stopped in the United States in January 2022 for the inauguration of Xiomara Castro, the first female president of Honduras, who has since favored Beijing. In recent years, Panama, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras have become Beijing’s allies to the detriment of Taiwan.