Tag: USA

Washington —  The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a U.S. territory in the western Pacific, is the only place in the United States where Chinese nationals can enter without a visa for up to 14 days. Security hawks in the U.S. Congress want to shut down the visa waiver program, arguing it is a backdoor for Chinese citizens to enter the United States. CNMI Governor Arnold Palacios was in Washington, D.C., last week discussing this issue with government officials. He sat down with VOA to share his views…

WASHINGTON —  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is holding one-hour talks with veteran Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao Friday morning, a day before Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections — a test for efforts to stabilize tensions between the United States and China. Washington has cautioned Beijing against using the elections as a pretext for instability in the Taiwan Strait. Liu, who heads the Chinese Communist Party’s International Liaison Department, is the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit the United States since U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met…

WASHINGTON —  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to meet with veteran Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao in Washington on Friday, a day before Taiwan’s election, as the United States continues to caution China against using the election as a pretext for instability. Communication between the world’s two largest economies will continue after Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections on January 13, as senior officials from the United States and China are slated to attend next week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. On Friday, Blinken will hold talks at the…

Ahead of the presidential and legislative election on Saturday in Taiwan, where cross-strait relations and how to deal with Beijing’s policy toward the self-ruled island are a central theme, Washington announced it will be sending a “high-level unofficial delegation” after the Taiwan election. The move is likely to provoke Chinese ire. Pre-empting a strong reaction from Beijing, a senior administration official told reporters in a briefing Wednesday that sending an unofficial delegation is consistent with Washington’s “One China policy, consistent with the status quo and timed after the election to…

TAIPEI/BEIJING —  Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States met on Tuesday with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday, drawing a stern rebuke from Beijing. The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties with the island, which China views as its own territory. Alexander Yui took up his new post last month, replacing Hsiao Bi-khim, who is now running to be vice president in Taiwan’s elections on Saturday. Taiwan’s foreign ministry…

WASHINGTON —  The United States and China wrapped up two days of military talks in Washington Tuesday, the Pentagon said, the latest engagement since the two countries agreed to resume military-to-military ties. Washington and Beijing are at loggerheads over everything from the future of democratically ruled Taiwan to territorial claims in the South China Sea. Ties are still recovering after the U.S. downed an alleged Chinese spy balloon in February. U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed late last year to resume military ties, severed by Beijing…

The United States says it opposes “outside interference or malign influence” in Taiwan’s elections, ahead of the island’s hotly contested presidential and legislative elections on January 13. “We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan, which is fundamentally at odds with the goal of peace and stability,” a State Department spokesperson told VOA on Monday. “We have deep confidence in Taiwan’s democratic process and believe it is for Taiwan voters to choose their next leader, free from outside interference,” the spokesperson added. Washington’s strong words…