China considers Taiwan, with a population of around 23 million, to be one of its provinces, which it has yet to successfully reunify with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese Civil War ( 1949).
Opposed to any initiative giving the Taiwanese authorities international legitimacy, Beijing is against any official contact between Taiwan and other countries.
So even if American officials visit this island frequently, China has deemed that the visit on August 4 of Nancy Pelosi, one of the highest figures in the American state, was a major provocation.
Every evening,
20 Minutes
returns to the tensions around Taiwan as the Chinese army conducts the largest military exercises in its history in this area, sending fighter planes, warships, drones and firing ballistic missiles.
Did you miss the latest events regarding the renewed tension around Taiwan?
Do not panic,
20 Minutes
takes stock every day, since the visit of Nancy Pelosi, number three American and president of the House of Representatives, which has largely cooled relations between China and the United States.
Who did what ?
Who said what?
Where are we ?
The answer below:
The fact of the day
One more degree in provocation.
This Thursday, the United States said it expected Beijing to strengthen its military, economic and diplomatic “coercion” on Taiwan in the “weeks and months” to come.
"If our policy hasn't changed, what has changed is the growing coercion from Beijing," Daniel Kritenbrink said in a conference call with reporters.
According to this official for East Asia at the State Department, the recent Chinese exercises carried out in the air and waters of the Taiwan Strait "are part of an intense campaign of coercion (...) to intimidate and coerce Taiwan and to undermine its resilience.
“The words and actions (of China) are deeply destabilizing.
They risk causing miscalculations and threaten the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait,” said Daniel Kritenbrink.
And the American diplomat assured that Washington would respond with "calm, but resolute measures" to keep the Taiwan Strait open.
sentence of the day
This office will not only help diversify Lithuania's economic representation in the Asian region, but also promote technological cooperation.
Taiwan is one of Lithuania's priority markets in terms of innovation, exports and foreign investment.
»
These are the words of the adviser to the Lithuanian Minister of Economy, Ausrine Armonaite.
The Lithuanian authorities have just appointed Paulius Lukauskas (current adviser to the Lithuanian Prime Minister), the next head of this new trade office which is due to open in mid-September in Taiwan.
It will be called "Lithuanian Trade Representative Office in Taipei" - and not in Taiwan, in accordance with an international practice vis-à-vis China which considers the island as part of its territory.
Let us recall why this sentence is important: Vilnius angered China last year by allowing Taipei to open a representative office under the name of Taiwan, an important diplomatic step which caused Beijing to restrict its relations with Lithuania and block its exports to the Baltic country.
The number of the day
7.
Japan's national security adviser spoke for seven hours, including Taiwan and Ukraine, with the Chinese Communist Party's top diplomat, a Japanese government official said Thursday.
Takeo Akiba, who accepted a Chinese invitation, traveled to the city of Tianjin, southeast of Beijing, where he met Yang Jiechi.
During these discussions, which included a dinner, Takeo Akiba "conveyed Japan's position" regarding Taiwan and stressed the importance of "peace and stability" in the Taiwan Strait.
The trend of the day
Taiwan and the United States will start negotiating in early fall.
These discussions should be part of an initiative announced in June and which has already given rise to a first meeting the same month.
The talks will cover a wide variety of topics, including agriculture, e-commerce and lifting trade barriers, the office of US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a statement on Thursday.
A trade deal will “strengthen trade and investment,” and “promote innovation and inclusive economic growth for our workers and businesses,” said Sarah Bianchi, Assistant to the U.S. Trade Representative.
Taipei and Washington have already been bound since 1994 by a “framework” relating to trade and investment, which is not a formal agreement.
The island is notably an indispensable global supplier of semiconductors, necessary in particular in mobile phones, computers, cars and missiles.
While Taiwan and the United States are already important trading partners, Taipei's largest trading partner remains Beijing.
Thus, last year, 42% of Taiwan's exports went to China and Hong Kong, against 15% to the United States.
This Thursday, Beijing reacted by "firmly opposing" these future negotiations.
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