TAIPEI, Taiwan—U.S. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus on Jan. 10 called out the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s false propaganda.
On Twitter, Ortagus responded to an editorial article published by Chinese hawkish state-run media Global Times, where it threatened that if Pompeo were to “dare” visit Taiwan before the end of his tenure as U.S. Secretary of State, Chinese military jets would “fly over” the self-ruled island in a move to declare Beijing’s sovereignty over the island.
Global Times also stated that both Washington and Taipei should not “overreact” to Beijing’s military move.
“If the U.S. and the island of Taiwan dare to overreact, war will be sparked. China will punish the Taiwan authorities which cooperate with Pompeo’s final show of madness,” stated the Global Times article published on Jan. 10.
It also repeated Beijing’s propaganda that the United States colludes with Taiwanese citizens who advocate for the island’s formal independence. The latter should not “take for granted that they can seek secession with the help of the last-ditch madness of an administration abandoned by the Americans,” the article stated.
Ortagus wrote in response: “Sorry, @globaltimesnews, but you are wrong again! The Secretary’s upcoming trip to Europe will be his final overseas trip as Secretary.” The U.S. State Department has not yet published the detailed itinerary of Mike Pompeo’s trip to Europe.
She added: “There are no plans to travel to #Taiwan this week but we will continue our consistent support for Taiwan as a successful market economy, vibrant democracy, and force for good in the world.
“The CCP must act responsibly and stop believing the lies in their own propaganda. Their nervous panic diplomacy is unwarranted and dangerous.”
The CCP sees Taiwan as a part of its territory that should be united with the mainland, by force if necessary. Moreover, it also opposes governments and international organizations that form ties with the island because it might suggest that Taiwan is a de-facto nation-state.
That law authorizes the United States to provide the island with military equipment for self-defense and establish a nonprofit corporation called the American Institute in Taiwan, which is now the de-facto U.S. embassy on the island.
On Monday afternoon, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, at a daily briefing, condemned Pompeo over his decision to remove the guidelines.
Zhao called for him to stop “manipulating issues regarding Taiwan” and stop “going further down a wrong and dangerous road,” or else he “will be severely punished by history.”
“I am pleased to see the State Department take swift and decisive action to implement the bipartisan Taiwan Assurance Act, which I introduced to ensure we move beyond the outdated red tape limiting our relationship with Taiwan,” McCaul said.
The Taiwan Assurance Act was signed into law in December 2020. That new law also calls for the U.S. government to advocate for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization.
McCaul added: “Due to our shared priorities today of confronting the generational threat posed by the CCP, it is time to eliminate this unnecessary bureaucracy so we can deepen our ties with Taiwan and help to bolster them against further marginalization by the CCP’s growing aggression.”
“Normalizing relations with the US and other countries is the wish and best interest of the Taiwanese people,” Lai wrote.
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