Despite repeated warnings from Beijing, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday.
Tsai-McCarthy Meeting
During a joint press conference with the US official, Tsai vowed to “defend the peaceful status quo” so that Taiwanese citizens can continue to live in a free and open society. She also thanked the US for its “unwavering support,” which she said, “reassures the people of Taiwan that we are not isolated, we are not alone.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy shook hands with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen as she meets with a group of US lawmakers in California https://t.co/T7KstNpp5r pic.twitter.com/q3jy13wS1F
— Bloomberg (@business) April 5, 2023
Meanwhile, McCarthy said he believes that the US-Taiwan bond “is stronger now than at any time or point in [his] lifetime.” He further added that their friendship “is a matter of profound importance to the free world and it is critical to maintain economic freedom, peace and regional stability.”
Chinese Protest
Ahead of the meeting, the Chinese Embassy in Washington urged American lawmakers on Tuesday to refrain from meeting Tsai.
“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,” an embassy representative said in a note to lawmakers.
China firmly opposes US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meeting Tsai Ing-wen. pic.twitter.com/iDTbXaeaam
— Spokesperson发言人办公室 (@MFA_China) April 4, 2023
Following this, a fleet belonging to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) led by the Shandong aircraft carrier passed within 370 km of the self-governing island on Thursday.
On the same day, the Chinese Foreign Ministry also issued a statement saying that Washington had “framed” Tsai’s visit to be a “transit” and warned that it “will take strong and resolute measures to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy is the highest-profile encounter between the two countries since McCarthy’s predecessor — Nancy Pelosi — visited the island last August.
Despite threats of retaliation from China, US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy welcomed Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California https://t.co/Ouuc5miwLu pic.twitter.com/OwgWVVB36z
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 6, 2023
US Rebuttal
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken downplayed the importance of the visit and called on China to stop using the trip as an “excuse to ratchet up tensions.”
“These transits by high level Taiwanese authorities are nothing new. They are private and unofficial,” he stated.