US: All countries in the world should warn China not to attack Taiwan, Russia learned a lesson in Ukraine

(Patria) - The US hopes China will not use visits by American lawmakers to Taiwan as an excuse for military action, a senior US diplomat said, adding that all countries should warn Beijing against a conflict over the island, Reuters reports.

US-China relations were shaken last August by the visit of Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the US House of Representatives, to Taiwan, which Beijing considers its territory. Since then, a number of American lawmakers have visited Taiwan, and speculation has emerged that Republican representative Kevin McCarthy, who took office as Speaker of the House in January, could visit the island soon, likely in the spring or summer.

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said at an event at the Brookings Institution think tank that the United States is committed to supporting Taiwan and its ability to defend itself within the framework of the One China policy.

"We hope that the PRC (People's Republic of China) will not use a visit by a member of Congress to Taiwan as an excuse for military action," Sherman said. Sherman, the State Department's second-highest diplomat, drew on Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a lesson for China against any moves in the Taiwan Strait, saying the war has increased energy and food insecurity for the entire world, as well as inflationary pressures.

"The same would be true for a conflict in the Taiwan Strait," Sherman said.

"And therefore, I call on all countries to say to the PRC, this affects me. This affects my people, my country. This is not a good idea," she added.