Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are set for a highly anticipated meeting in California on Wednesday, in a show of democratic solidarity in defiance of threats from China.
Tsai will gather with McCarthy and a bipartisan group of US lawmakers at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California’s Simi Valley, McCarthy’s office said in a press release earlier this week.
The landmark meeting is the second time Tsai will meet with an American lawmaker of that rank in the space of a year, following a visit from then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan last August. Tsai will also become the first Taiwan president to meet with a US House Speaker on US soil.
Beijing launched extensive military drills around the democratic, self-governing island and suspended several lines of communication with Washington in response to Pelosi’s visit – raising concerns about aggressive and destabilizing steps it may take in response to Tsai’s sit-down with McCarthy, even though this meeting is taking place in the US.
Tsai’s delegation is making a planned stopover in California following official visits to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies Guatemala and Belize – part of a 10-day tour to shore up Taipei’s overseas relationships amid increasing pressure from Beijing.
Taiwan’s official Central News Agency also reported earlier this week that Tsai would meet with McCarthy while in California, citing the island’s presidential office.
China’s Consulate General in Los Angeles condemned the anticipated meeting with McCarthy as “not conducive to regional peace, security and stability,” warning it would “undermine the political foundation” of China-US relations.
“We will closely follow the development of the situation and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the…
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