China made an appeal to the United States on Tuesday, July 31, to refuse Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen stopover in the country as she travels to Belize and Paraguay. The government of Taiwan announced on Monday, July 30, that the Taiwanese politician would pay a short visit to the U.S. on her way to Latin America.
According to The Asahi Shimbun, it is a standard producer for the Presidents of Taiwan to have a stopover in the U.S. for visits to Latin America. President Tsai will have a stop off in Los Angeles and Houston, although the announcement didn't reveal when it will exactly happen.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that China already talked to Washington about President Tsai's transit in a speaking engagement at a daily news briefing. "We have consistently resolutely opposed the United States or other countries with which China has diplomatic relations arranging this kind of transit," he said.
Geng added that China strongly urged the U.S. to deny passage of the Taiwan region's leader to their country. They also asked the state not to "send any wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces."
Slate Magazine reported that this is China's latest move to remove Taiwan's right as an "independent political entity." In fact, this just a part of its campaign to persuade everyone, from the national government to NGOs, airlines, companies, and a whole lot more, to take a stance against the issues about Taiwan's status.
The tension between Beijing and Taipei continuously grows since the 2016 election. Chinese leaders believe that Tsai wants Taiwan to "declare formal independence." This opposes the intent of Chinese President Xi Jinping's government to assert its power over disputed territories.
The Washington Post noted that Taiwan takes pride for its stand to be a democratic nation. In fact, it has a lot of achievements that are acclaimed internationally like freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. These things are just some of the people's rights that autocratic China doesn't have, including political liberties and religious freedom.
China has been putting pressure on Taiwan. As a lot of this kind of incidents are currently happening, the worst of them all is when Beijing forced the cancellation of the 2019 East Asian Youth Game that is scheduled to be held at Taichung City.
Hence, China's bullying of Taiwan must be put to a stop and be taken to the international arena. Also, the country's meddling in the business and practices of the other countries should be prevented.
