The words are weighed. Tsai Ing Wen, that is the name of the President of Taiwan, has been since Wednesday evening March 29 in “private transit” for 24 hours in New York on the way that will take her on an official visit to several Central American countries. And when she comes back, she’ll be in again “private transit”, this time in Los Angeles for 48 hours. No question of displaying anything else: the only China that Washington officially recognizes is that of Beijing. THE “private transit”, so it’s the usual formula to dress up what despite everything is direct diplomacy between Taiwan and the United States. This is also the 25th time in 30 years that a leader of Taiwan has been in “transit” on American soil. It won’t prevent Tsai Ing Wen to be received Thursday in one of the main think tanks of the country, the very conservative Hudson Institute where she will certainly meet several elected officials. And then to have programmed on his return via Los Angeles a meeting with the new leader of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy. For the United States, all this poses no problem: “This is an unofficial relationship”. The Taiwanese president is in “private transit” !
A private transit for Washington, a provocation for Beijing
Opposite, China of course looks at things very differently. For Beijing, it is a “provocation” : “We urge the United States not to continue playing with fire on the Taiwan issue”, says the Chinese charge d’affaires in Washington Xu Xue Yuan. In Beijing, the official press adds that the Chinese power will monitor the smallest detail of this double transit and that it is ready to retaliate. Communist China has considered, since its independence in 1949, that Taiwan is an integral part of its territory. Last August, the visit to Taiwan of Nancy Pelosi (predecessor of Kevin McCarthy in the House of Representatives) triggered large-scale Chinese military maneuvers around the island of 24 million inhabitants. This time, Beijing’s response has in a way already taken place. Since China itself has been welcoming Tsai Ing Wen’s main political rival, Ma Ying, on an official visit for a few days. To sum up, the first is in favor of greater autonomy for the island, even its independence. The second to a rapprochement or even a reunification with mainland China. And elections are scheduled in a year in Taiwan.
Diplomatic battle in Central America
Between these two “private transit” in the United States, the president of Taiwan goes to Central America, not by chance either. Tsai Ing Wen travels to Guatemala and Belize. For what ? Because these two countries are among the last 13 states to officially recognize Taiwan rather than Beijing. These states are almost all in Latin America or the Caribbean. And China is waging a frenzied campaign to bring them into its camp. A campaign that is progressing: Honduras has just moved over to Beijing, it is the 9th country to “change sides” these last years. But Taiwan responds with other arguments: effective communication about its democratic, pluralistic and transparent regime, and the increasingly assertive support of the United States, political and military support, unofficial therefore, but real and growing.