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By John Feng
China Editor
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A Chinese diplomat in the United States has written to members of Congress to demand their withdrawal from a scheduled meeting on Wednesday with Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen, according to National Review.
Li Xiang, an official who handles congressional affairs at the Chinese embassy in Washington, reiterated Beijing's opposition to "any form of official interaction" between the U.S. and Taiwan, the magazine said Tuesday, citing an email.
China's embassy did not responded to an email seeking confirmation of the letter.
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The U.S. has official relations with China instead of Taiwan but doesn't recognize the long-standing Chinese claim of sovereignty over the democratically-governed island whose status Washington believes remains undecided. Taiwan's 23 million people have shown little interest in any future in which they are ruled from Beijing, a trend that appears to be getting stronger.
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The White House says Taiwan's president is transiting America for the seventh time since taking office in what is a private stopover to facilitate her official visits to Taipei's diplomatic partners in Central America, and that members of Congress, as a co-equal branch of government, have a right to meet with Tsai when she passes through Los Angeles.
Beijing is irked by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's plans to host Tsai for closed-door talks on Wednesday morning at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, in the senior Republican's home state, according to Li's letter, which noted China's dissatisfaction "no matter where the meeting takes place."
"I have to point out that China will not sit idly by in the face of a blatant provocation and will most likely take necessary and resolute actions in response to the unwanted situation," it said, encouraging members of McCarthy's group to cancel their attendance.
Lists published this week by Punchbowl News and Radio Free Asia said McCarthy's bipartisan delegation would include 17 other members of the House of Representatives.
Among them were Republican Reps. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Jason Smith of Missouri, Carlos Gimenez of Florida, Ashley Hinson of Iowa, John Moolenaar of Michigan, Michelle Steel of California, Rob Wittman of Virginia, John Curtis of Utah, Trent Kelly of Mississippi, Adrian Smith of Nebraska and Ryan Zinke of Montana.
The Democrats are Reps. Pete Aguilar of California, Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Ritchie Torres of New York, Haley Stevens of Michigan and Julia Brownley of California.
Aguilar chairs the Democratic caucus, while 10 lawmakers in the group sit on the House select committee on China, including Gallagher, its chair, and Krishnamoorthi, its ranking member.
Newsweek contacted the offices of several of the members of Congress due to meet Tsai by email but did not receive a response before publication.
Tsai's spokesperson, Xavier Chang, told reporters on Tuesday that Taiwan's president met with members of the U.S. legislative branch, including New York Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, during her transit through New York a week ago.
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