"STORMY SEAS"
China said on Wednesday that Tsai was pushing Taiwan to "stormy seas" after she met with McCarthy during an overseas trip which also included stops in Guatemala and Belize.
The trip infuriated Beijing, prompting days of military drills designed to show it could forcefully take control of the democratic island.
"Tsai Ing-wen brought danger to Taiwan. Tsai Ing-wen almost completely sided (with) the United States, pushing Taiwan into stormy seas," China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said.
China views Tsai as a separatist and has rebuffed repeated calls from her for talks. Tsai says she wants peace but that her government will defend Taiwan if it is attacked.
Beijing has continued military activities around Taiwan, despite announcing that three days of drills had ended as scheduled on Monday.
Taiwan said earlier on Wednesday that in the previous 24 hours it had detected 35 Chinese military aircraft and eight navy vessels around Taiwan.
Of those aircraft, 14 had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, according to a ministry-provided map; the line normally serves as an unofficial barrier between the two sides.
China says it does not recognise the existence of the line.
Tsai, who returned to Taiwan a day before the drills began, appeared relaxed as she met Canadian lawmakers on Wednesday, saying her overseas trip had been a success in winning support against an aggressor that was threatening the island's freedom.
"Through this trip we again sent a message to the international community that Taiwan is determined to safeguard freedom and democracy, which won acknowledgment and support from our democratic partners," Tsai said as she met the lawmakers.
"Faced with continued authoritarian expansionism it is even more critical for democracies to actively unite," she added.
OPEN TO CHANGE
Speaking to CNA’s Asia First on Thursday, Mr Allan Behm, director of the International and Security Affairs Program at the Australia Institute, said China’s military activity aims to send a “potent” message.
He said China has been sending “very visible” signals, through its highly choreographed military exercises, amid continued US ambiguity over its Taiwan policy.
“Of course, there is a degree of risk that something can go wrong here because human beings are involved, and so there's human decision making,” he said of a potential escalation.
However, Mr Behm noted that China is open to changing its decisions, as shown in the changes to the no-fly zone rules.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS90YWl3YW4tY29udmluY2VkLWNoaW5hLXJlaW4tbm8tZmx5LXpvbmUtcGxhbi1mbGlnaHRzLTM0MTM0OTHSAQA?oc=5
2023-04-13 05:18:29Z
CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS90YWl3YW4tY29udmluY2VkLWNoaW5hLXJlaW4tbm8tZmx5LXpvbmUtcGxhbi1mbGlnaHRzLTM0MTM0OTHSAQA
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