All countries should warn Beijing against conflict over the island, a senior US diplomat said, adding that Washington hopes the visits of its lawmakers to Taiwan will not spark Beijing into action, saying it would be a “pretext.”
Speculation is rife that Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy – the new House Speaker – could soon drop in on Taipei in spring or summer, another in a wave of visits most famously made by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“I urge all countries to tell the PRC; this affects me. This affects my people, my country. This is not a good idea,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told an event at the Brookings Institution think tank. (Reuters)