美国挑衅性访问台湾遭抨击︱Washington's provocative visits to Taiwan slammed

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, takes questions at a news briefing on Nov 10, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

The United States is heading down a slippery slope after a visit to Taiwan on Tuesday by a group of US Congress members, experts said. They added that the visit demonstrates that Washington is seeking to normalize diplomatic interactions with Taiwan through de facto "official" visits, thus severely damaging China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits.

专家称，在美国国会代表团于周二访台后，美国正在走下坡路。专家表示，这次访问表明美国正在寻求通过事实上的“官方”访问来实现美台外交往来正常化，这会严重损害中美关系以及台海和平与稳定。

On Tuesday, a US Navy C-40A military transport plane carrying the US lawmakers, including Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, made an unannounced visit to the island. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby later confirmed the trip, which has received a strong backlash from Beijing.

周二，美国国会议员乘美国海军C-40A军用运输机窜访台湾，其中包括德克萨斯州共和党参议员约翰·科宁和阿拉巴马州参议员汤米·图伯维尔。五角大楼发言人约翰·柯比随后证实了这次访问。中方对此进行了谴责。

Kirby said on Wednesday that it was the second such congressional trip to Taiwan this year. He called the visit "fairly routine" and said it was "not uncommon for them to be transported on US military aircraft".

柯比周三表示，这是国会今年第二次访问台湾。他称这次访问“相当常见”，并表示“这些人乘坐美军用飞机并不罕见”。

Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday that China opposes the US having any form of diplomatic and military interactions with Taiwan, and the US should stop sending the wrong message to Taiwan separatist forces.

国台办发言人朱凤莲周三表示，中方坚决反对美国同中国台湾地区进行任何形式的官方往来和军事联系，美方应停止向“台独”分裂势力发出错误信号。

"Taiwan secession means the end of peace and the onset of calamities," she said. "We hope the vast majority of Taiwan compatriots can open their eyes and don't become the victims of Taiwan separatist forces."

她说：“台独意味着和平的丧失和灾难的降临。希望广大台湾同胞擦亮眼睛，不要成为台独分裂势力的牺牲品。”

Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said in a statement on Tuesday that the visit by the US lawmakers has blatantly interfered in China's domestic affairs, and has seriously undermined China's territorial sovereignty and peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits.

国防部发言人谭克非大校周二在一份声明中说，美国议员此访公然干涉中国内政，严重损害中国领土主权，严重威胁台海地区和平稳定。

"The People's Liberation Army will remain on high alert, and will take all actions necessary to thwart any ploys by foreign powers and Taiwan secessionist forces," he said.

他表示：“中国人民解放军将始终保持高度戒备状态，采取一切必要措施，坚决粉碎任何外部势力干涉和台独分裂图谋。”

Tang Yonghong, deputy director of the Taiwan Research Center of Xiamen University in Fujian province, said that in recent years the US has passed several pieces of legislation that encourage diplomatic interactions with the island. Therefore, similar visits by US politicians will likely increase in the future, Tang said.

福建省厦门大学台湾研究中心副主任唐永红表示，美国近年来通过了多项鼓励与台湾进行外交往来的立法。因此，未来美国政客的类似访问可能会增加。

"We have to carefully evaluate the nature of these interactions and react accordingly based on their impact on the one-China principle and China's core interests," he said.

他表示：“我们必须仔细评估美台之间往来互动的性质，并根据它们对一个中国原则和中国核心利益的影响做出相应的反应。”

Tang said the US' long-term objective is to compete with China and contain its rise. Therefore, it is willing to play the Taiwan card to gain more geopolitical leverage against China, but it also wants to maintain a degree of strategic ambiguity to ensure the situation doesn't get out of control.

唐永红认为，美国的长期目标是与中国竞争并遏制其崛起。因此，它愿意通过打台湾牌获得更多地缘政治影响力以制衡中国，但美国也希望保持一定的战略模糊性，以确保局势不会失控。

Strategic ambiguity refers to a carefully managed diplomatic position in which Washington deliberately keeps the Chinese mainland and Taiwan guessing about its true intention regarding the Taiwan question.

战略模糊是指美国谨慎管理其外交立场，故意让中国大陆和台湾猜测其在台湾问题上的真实意图。

Li Haidong, a professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said the claim by the administration of US President Joe Biden of supporting the one-China policy is "highly deceptive", because the administration has been actively undermining China's territorial sovereignty by calling for Taiwan's participation in the United Nations.

外交学院美国研究教授李海东表示，拜登政府支持一个中国政策的声明“极具欺骗性”，因为本届美国政府一直致力于破坏中国领土主权，支持台湾加入联合国。

"The US executive branch used to enjoy some diplomatic flexibility in regard to the Taiwan question by hiding behind its strategic ambiguity," he said. "But the recent visits by US lawmakers to the island are proof that the US Congress, which is overwhelmingly in favor of building a more robust relationship with the island, is dictating the White House's China-related policy. This is a very dangerous trend."

他说：“过去，美国行政部门常常隐藏在战略模糊性的背后，在台湾问题上享有一定的外交灵活性。但最近美国国会议员窜访台湾表明，以压倒性优势支持与台湾建立更牢固关系的美国国会，正在支配着白宫的对华政策。这是一个非常危险的趋势。”