Taiwan parties, groups lodge protest against potential McCarthy visit

More than 20 pro-unification parties and groups from Taiwan protested a possible trip to Taiwan by United States House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, saying it might arouse another military crisis across the Taiwan Straits.

McCarthy is reportedly preparing to visit Taiwan in April after his predecessor Nancy Pelosi's trip to the island last August, which was followed by severe countermeasures from Beijing, including military drills around Taiwan.

The Cross-Straits Peaceful Development Forum, a platform initiated by over 20 parties and groups in Taiwan, including the Labor Party and Alliance for the Reunification of China, issued a statement on Monday to protest the possible visit.

"If McCarthy did come to Taiwan, the mainland would be forced to take stronger and more direct countermeasures, which might trigger another cross-Straits crisis," the statement said.

The parties and groups condemned McCarthy for hyping up the trip to Taiwan to gain political capital in the US, and said at that time he might require Taiwan to buy more expensive US arms.

Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last year did not bring any benefit to the people of Taiwan, the groups asserted. Instead, it brought instability and unrest to the island. After the military exercises ended, the tension across the Straits has not cooled down .

Nearly two-thirds of Taiwan residents did not welcome Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last year, but neither the ruling Democratic Progressive Party nor the opposition Kuomintang dared to reject the trip, the statement said.

The groups added that in the face of a potential military crisis, it is the common interest and responsibility of the people on both sides of the Straits to safeguard peace and defuse it.

The signatories called on all Taiwan people to strongly oppose McCarthy's visit to Taiwan, and to strive for peace.?