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China has warned of a possible stopover of Taiwanese vice president and presidential candidate William Lai in the United States. “China firmly opposes any form of official exchange between the United States and Taiwan,” a Beijing foreign ministry spokeswoman said. US Secretary of State Blinken dismissed the criticism from Beijing on Monday (local time). Such stopovers are “routine” and should not be a reason for China to take “provocative actions”.

Lai is expected to be in the United States in mid-August as part of a trip to attend the inauguration of new Paraguayan president Santiago Peña. Beijing’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman added that Lai’s planned visit to Washington had been formally protested. China will “closely monitor developments and take resolute and firm measures to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

The communist leadership in Beijing considers independently governed Taiwan part of the People’s Republic and threatens to conquer it. China is trying to isolate Taiwan internationally and strictly refuses official contacts of other countries with Taiwan. Like most countries in the world, the US does not have an embassy in Taiwan. However, there are a number of informal contacts that are also angering Beijing.

In April, Beijing responded with military exercises when Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy during a stopover in the US. (saw/sda/dpa)