The ministry accused Lage of stubbornly insisting on independence for Taiwan, which China considers its own but has had an independent government since 1949. “It has been proven time and time again that the rising tension in the Taiwan Strait is because Taiwan is attempting independence by relying on the United States,” they wrote in their statement.
“China is closely monitoring the developments and will take decisive and strong steps to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the ministry said in a statement, stressing that the Beijing government opposes any official relations between the United States and Taiwan.
China has increased its military activity around Taiwan in the past three years. On Thursday, the island’s Ministry of Defense announced that it had spotted several Chinese warships and warplanes in the area. Lage, who is considered one of the contenders for Taiwan’s January presidential election, arrived in New York on Saturday night, local time. The politician had earlier indicated that he would head to the United States before his visit to Paraguay, and Beijing immediately denounced the announcement.
Although Washington does not recognize Taiwan’s independence, it is the island’s largest arms supplier. Although Lage has repeatedly stated that he does not seek to change the status quo, he has said that only the Taiwanese can decide the fate of the island. The vice president is scheduled to meet with a group of Taiwanese living in the United States and deliver a speech. He will reportedly not meet with US lawmakers and will leave the US for Paraguay to attend the inauguration of President-elect Santiago Pena. Taiwan is recognized by only a few countries. Paraguay is the last South American country to have official relations with Taiwan.
Cover image source: Getty Images
