Taiwanese president arrives in New York, greeted by supporters and protesters alike

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen arrived in New York on Wednesday amid a crowd of supporters and protesters. Tsai's stopover in the US, the first of the two has been dubbed a 'provocation' by China.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

A crowd of protesters carrying signs with slogans “there is only one China in the world”, “support China’s reunification and resolutely oppose Taiwan independence” and “Taiwan independence has no way out, Taiwan independence is a dead end” could've spotted outside the New York hotel where she is staying.

Meanwhile, one of Tsai's supporters took on the protesters by holding a sign that said, “Taiwan so awesome, even China can’t stop talking about us”.

While the two-day New York visit has been officially called a transit stopover, Beijing continues to assert it is an attempt by the US to propagate 'Taiwan independence'. Speaking to reporters in Beijing, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian openly condemned the visit.

"We firmly oppose this and will definitely take measures to resolutely fight back," said the spokesperson before adding, “The trip is not so much a ‘transit’, but an attempt to seek breakthroughs and propagate ‘Taiwan independence’."

ALSO READ | China threatens to retaliate if US House Speaker meets Taiwan president; Washington says this

China's continuous remarks on Tsai's visit also stem from the fact that she might be meetingUS House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, in Los Angeles on her return journey.

After former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island nation in August 2022, China upped the ante on Taiwan. During the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) congress last year, Xi asserted that the Taiwan matter was for the Chinese people only. Thus, experts are wary that the Tsai-McCarthy meeting could trigger another round of conflict.

WATCH |Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen's trip to Central America has worried China

WhileChina continues its aggressive posturing, Taiwan has focused its attention on developing weapons and equipment, anticipating a blockade of the Taiwan Strait by China. Earlier this month, the Taiwanese defence ministry mentioned the pivot in strategy.

China considers Taiwan a part of its territory but the island nation and its people have never accepted Beijing's control. However, after Beijing staged war games around the island, fired indiscriminate missiles and declared it a no-fly zone last year in an attempt to simulate how it would look to cut Taiwan off in case of a potential conflict, Taipei has taken evasive actions.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: