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Why is China so angry about Taiwan’s William Lai visiting the US?

Published

1 year ago

August 19, 2023

Why is China so angry about Taiwan’s William Lai visiting the US?

EXPLAINER

China’s angry response to Taiwan official’s stopovers in US show relations between Beijing and Taipei are at an all-time low, but how did we get here?

China has launched military drills around Taiwan in what its described as a “stern warning” to so-called separatist forces on the self-governed island.

This tension between China and Taiwan on Saturday comes a day after Taiwan’s Vice President William Lai returned to Taipei after making two stopovers in the United States as part of a trip to Paraguay.

Lai’s transits through the US have angered Beijing who considers Taiwan to be a breakaway territory and Lai a “troublemaker” in collusion with Washington to push separatism on the democratically-run island.

Here is some background on why China is so upset about Lai’s visit to the US:

Why is China so angry?

Taiwan is a deeply emotive issue for China’s ruling Communist Party and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The People’s Republic of China has claimed Taiwan as its territory since the defeated Republic of China government fled to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s Communist forces.
China has repeatedly called on US officials to not engage with Taiwanese leaders or allow them into the country under any guise, viewing it as “collusion” between Taipei and Washington.
Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the democratic, self-governed island, and has been increasing military activity near the island in recent years.
In 2005 China passed a law giving Beijing the legal basis for military action against Taiwan if it secedes or seems about to.

Why does China dislike William Lai so much?

China believes Lai to be a separatist, a view borne out of his comments about being a “worker” for Taiwan’s independence.
While Taiwan and the US say Lai’s US transits were routine and no reason for China to take offence, Beijing argue that Lai’s trips were in support of seeking “independence” for Taiwan, and a “disguise” to “seek gains in the local election through dishonest moves”.
Lai is the ruling Democratic Party’s presidential candidate for the January elections and leads the polls.

What are Taiwan-US relations like?

In 1979, the US severed official relations with the government in Taipei and instead recognised the government in Beijing. A Taiwan-US defence treaty was terminated at the same time.
The post-1979 relationship between the US and Taiwan has been governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, which gives Washington a legal basis to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself but does not mandate that the US come to Taiwan’s aid if attacked.
While the US has long followed a policy of “strategic ambiguity” on whether it would intervene militarily to protect Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, current US President Joe Biden has shifted the dial saying he would be willing to use force to defend Taiwan.
The US continues to be Taiwan’s most important source of weapons, and Taiwan’s contested status is a constant source of friction between Beijing and Washington.

What does Taiwan say?

Taiwan’s government says that as the People’s Republic of China has never ruled the island, it has no right to claim sovereignty over it, speak for it or represent it on the world stage, and that only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.
Taiwan’s official name continues to be the Republic of China, though these days, the government often stylises it as the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Only 13 countries formally recognise Taiwan: Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Tuvalu, Eswatini and the Vatican City.
Nine countries switched alliance to China after Tsai Ing-wen became Taiwan’s president in 2016, and Beijing has increased its efforts to isolate Taiwan diplomatically.
Taiwan’s government says it is a sovereign country, and it has a right to state-to-state ties.

How are relations between Taipei and Beijing?

Very bad.
China views Tsai as a separatist and has rebuffed her repeated calls for talks.
Tsai says she wants peace but her government will defend Taiwan if attacked.
Beijing says Tsai must accept that China and Taiwan are part of a “one China”.
Neither side recognises the other, and China shut off all formal dialogue mechanisms after Tsai first won office in 2016.

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World

Italian state railways plans 1.3 bln euro investment in solar plant

Published

3 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Italian state railways plans 1.3 bln euro investment in solar plant

Italian state railways Ferrovie dello Stato plans to invest 1.3 billion euros ($1.36 billion) in a photovoltaic plant with an initial 1 gigawatt (GW) capacity that would cover 19% of its energy needs by 2029, the CEO said in a newspaper interview.

World

Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

Published

4 hours ago

December 22, 2024

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Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

Christmas, Navidad in Puerto Rico, extends far beyond Dec. 25.

The island proudly proclaims itself as having the “longest holiday season in the world,” according to the website Discover Puerto Rico.

On average, the holiday festivities in Puerto Rico last about 45 days, per the source, commencing right after Thanksgiving, and stretching all the way through mid-January.

The Christmas season in Puerto Rico typically lasts around 45 days. (iStock)

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The holiday season in Puerto Rico is full of rich traditions beloved by families.

One tradition those who visit Puerto Rico will immediately notice during the holiday season is decorations.

In Puerto Rico, decorations are typically put up by Thanksgiving, and kept up until the season concludes in mid-January, with opportune picture moments at every corner.

Parrandas, Christmas caroling, is a holiday staple.

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Carolers choose houses of family and friends to visit, typically starting around 10 p.m., performing aguinaldos (traditional Christmas songs), with not only their voices, but often with instruments as well, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

The group you begin caroling with is likely not the same group you end with.

In Puerto Rico, when carolers visit a house, they’ll often stop inside for conversation, food and drink before moving to the next residence.

Coquito is a popular beverage enjoyed during the holiday season in Puerto Rico. Coconut, vanilla and rum are among the ingredients. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Usually, the residences of the house visited will join the group for the next house, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

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A night of serenading loved ones can last quite a while, often stretching into the early morning hours of the following day, according to the source.

The biggest day of the holiday season in Puerto Rico actually isn’t Christmas, but instead, the night before.

In Puerto Rico, Dec. 24 is Nochebuena. On that day, loved ones gather for the exchange of gifts, caroling and a large feast.

Many families will also attend a midnight Mass on the day, known as Misa de Gallo.

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After Christmas passes, the festivities go on in Puerto Rico.

Another big event in the holiday lineup is Three Kings Day on Jan. 6, a holiday that “commemorates the visit that the Three Wise Men paid to Jesus after his birth,” according to Discover Puerto Rico.

On the eve of the day, children fill up a shoebox with grass to be left for camels to munch on while the Three Kings leave behind gifts for them, according to PuertoRico.com.

For a particularly festive Three Kings Day, Juana Díaz is the place to go, as it hosts the largest celebration in Puerto Rico for the holiday. In Juana Díaz, there is an annual festival and parade in honor of Three Kings Day that brings together over 25,000 people every year, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

Gifts are primarily exchanged between loved ones on Christmas Eve in Puerto Rico. (iStock)

Then, eight days later is Octavitas, a post-holiday celebration where families get together and celebrate one last time for the season.

The end of the holiday season is marked with the San Sebastián Street Festival.

This festival, spanning over multiple days, takes place in Old San Juan, and is filled with live music, dancing, shopping and parades.

Ashlyn Messier is a writer for Fox News Digital.

World

Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

Published

4 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

Twin-engine plane crashed in largely residential neighborhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff, authorities say.

A small plane has crashed into a tourist hotspot in southern Brazil, killing all 10 people on board and injuring more than a dozen people on the ground, officials have said.

The twin-engine Piper PA-42-1000 hit the chimney of a home and the second floor of a different house before crashing into a shop in a largely residential neighbourhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff from Canela, Brazil’s Civil Defense agency said on Sunday.

Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite told a news conference that the aircraft’s owner and pilot, Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, was killed along with nine members of his family.

Leite said that 17 people on the ground were injured, 12 of whom were still receiving treatment in hospital.

Galeazzi’s company, Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed that its CEO and Galeazzi’s wife and three daughters had died in the crash.

“Luiz Galeazzi will be forever remembered for his dedication to his family and for his remarkable career as a leader of Galeazzi & Associados,” the company said in a post on LinkedIn.

“In this moment of immense pain, Galeazzi & Associados is deeply grateful for the expressions of solidarity and affection received from friends, colleagues and the community. We also sympathize with all those affected by the accident in the region.”

Gramado, located in the Serra Gaucha mountains, is a popular destination for vacationers, especially during the Christmas season.

The crash comes a little more than a year after Brazil suffered its worst air disaster in nearly two decades when a twin-engine plane crashed in the southeastern city of Vinhedo, killing all 62 people on board.