China Criticizes Taiwan President's Visit to the United States

The Chargé d'Affaires at the Chinese embassy in Washington, Xu Xueyuan, criticized Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's stop in the United States during her current foreign trip, stating it "will have a severe impact on China-U.S. relations." Tsai left Taipei for New York on Wednesday on her way to Belize and Guatemala, which are among Taipei's few remaining diplomatic allies. Axios reported that before Tsai returns to Taiwan, she is expected to stop in California next week to give a speech and meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The White House attempted to ease tensions ahead of her stop in the U.S., noting that Tsai's predecessors have passed through the U.S. and that Tsai herself had visited the U.S. six times before with little incident. However, Chinese officials made it clear that this time is different.