Statement on Meeting between
Kevin McCarthy and Tsai Ing-Wen
Pivot to Peace
(April 5, 2023) — On April 5th at 10 am protesters from the Chinese community, Pivot to Peace, CODEPINK, the ANSWER Coalition and other communities gathered at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA as US Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy and other politicians met with Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-Wen.
In the final stop of her Americas tour, Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy signals yet another provocation on US-China relations. This comes just months after McCarthy’s predecessor, Nancy Pelosi deliberately violated the “One China Policy” agreed upon in the joint US-China Shanghai Communique by visiting Taiwan.
Retired Judge Julie Tang, a co-founder of Pivot to Peace, said, “We condemn the reckless and irresponsible acts of Speaker McCarthy. Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen is taking 23 million people in Taiwan down the road to destruction. And Speaker McCarthy could care less as long as he thinks China could be contained. They are provoking war in Asia. If war breaks out, we have no false hopes that our leaders will be looking out for us, or defending us against anti-Asian hate. What kind of democracy are we living in?”
“We are holding Speaker McCarthy accountable for his warmongering because the people are the tuning fork for peace.” says Wei Yu, organizer for CODEPINK’s “China is Not Our Enemy” campaign.
Pivot to Peace organizer, Chakib Mouzaoui spoke about the need for peace between the US and China, and that this meeting threatens any path towards much needed cooperation between the two nations, “The foundation of peaceful relations between the US and China is respect for the One China principle and allowing Taiwan and the mainland to resolve their differences without meddling by our politicians.
The American people do not benefit at all from this meeting, which is only intended to threaten that diplomatic foundation and stoke hostilities when there should be none. When these politicians show no such concern, we will take action and tell them NO.”
Protestors are also concerned that the anti-China war drive will only fuel the flames of anti-Asian hate, which has been on the uptick in recent years: “The US is ready to wage war at any time. The precursor is the demonization of nations and their people.
We are strongly opposed to the weaponization of racism as a means to drive consent for war. People do not support war. The US has done enough damages to the rest of the word leaving long lasting damages to people and the planet,” said ANSWER Coalition organizer Noor Abdel-Haq, “And it has got to stop.”
Protesters gather as Rep. Kevin McCarthy meets Taiwan president Tsai Ing-Wen.
Pivot to Peace Mission Statement
We are concerned Americans from all walks of life who have come together in opposition to the dramatically increasing drive toward confrontation between the United States and China.
We have witnessed a profoundly disturbing reorientation of US military and foreign policy that identifies China as a competitor and adversary. The new military doctrine of the Pentagon has prioritized preparation for “major power conflict” in the coming years.
This dangerous reorientation has impacted consciousness in the United States on many levels such that a palpable feeling of fear, animosity and even hatred has been generated not only toward the People’s Republic of China but toward Chinese people in general, Chinese-American citizens and other Asian peoples in the United States.
The so-called Pivot to Asia, which was announced in 2011, has developed into a pivot toward war and confrontation.
We have created the Pivot to Peace to insist that the government and mass media turn away from the anti-China Cold War. This new Cold War has taken on a life of its own. It needs to end.
We have launched a new effort called Pivot to Peace to educate and mobilize public opinion about the benefits of a policy that facilitates cooperation and mutual respect between the United States and China.
Pivot to Peace is a coalition of Americans, ranging from military veterans, public sector workers, professors, healthcare professionals, public officials, legal professionals and others who are concerned about the future of relations between our country and China. We reject the escalation towards global conflict and instead urge peace and cooperation with China.
We believe in the fair and open communication of information about China, its economic, social, and political affairs, free of the biases and distortions which dominate much of mainstream media in the United States. We support the frank exchange of views based on facts and evidence, rather than fear mongering and the revival of old racist stereotypes and Cold War political bugbears.
We want to build support for peace and prosperity and a shared future of mutually beneficial development for both the American and Chinese people. We believe that friendship and engagement between our countries is the better path towards that future.
