The United States urges China not to use the Taiwanese President's visit as an excuse to step up aggressive activities

The Biden administration announces ahead of schedule that Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's expected unofficial stopover in the United States will follow recent precedent and should not be used as an excuse by Beijing to escalate its aggressive activities across the Taiwan Strait. In recent weeks, senior US officials in Washington and Beijing have stressed to their Chinese counterparts that transit visits through the United States have been common during the Taiwanese president's broader international trips in recent years, according to a senior administration official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue.

During these visits over the past few years, Tsai has met with members of Congress and the Taiwanese diaspora, and has been welcomed by the President of the American Institute of Taiwan, a non-profit government organization that has unofficial ties with Taiwan.

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Tsai transited the United States six times between 2016 and 2019 before international travel slowed due to the coronavirus pandemic. In response to these visits, China has rhetorically attacked China and Taiwan.The Biden administration is trying to avoid a repeat of China's harsh backlash that followed California House Speaker Nancy Pelosis' visit to Taiwan last year. Since Pelosi's visit in August, Beijing has fired missiles at Taiwan, stationed warships on the Taiwan Strait's midline and conducted military exercises near the island. Beijing has also suspended climate talks with the United States.and limited military communications with the Pentagon.

Beijing sees official US ties with Taiwan as an incentive to maintain the island's de facto independence for decades, something US leaders say they do not support. Pelosi was the senior US lawmaker to visit the island since Marshal Newt Gingrich in 1997.Under the "One China" policy, the United States recognizes Beijing as the government of China and has no diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but claims that Taipei is an important partner in the Indo-Pacific region.

United StatesOfficials are increasingly concerned about China's long-proclaimed goal of uniting Taiwan with the mainland and the possibility of war for Taiwan. The autonomous island democracy is recognized by Beijing as part of its territory. The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which governs US relations with the island, does not require the USS. to intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese invasion, however, believes it is American policy to give Taiwan the means of self-defense and to prevent Beijing from unilaterally changing its status.

The strained relationship between the United States and China has become even more complicated after Pelosi's visit.Last month, President Joe Biden ordered a Chinese spy balloon shot down from the sky after it flew over the continental United States. And the Biden administration has said in recent weeks that US intelligence findings show China is considering sending arms to Russia in its ongoing war in Ukraine, but there is no evidence Beijing has decided to forward Moscow to deliver.