Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen
Image: AFP
On the way back from her trip to South America, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen stops in California – and meets Spokesman McCarthy there. Beijing sees the meeting as a provocation.
Dhe US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in California. The two met Wednesday at the Ronald Regan Presidential Library in the town of Simi Valley, northwest of Los Angeles. The meeting took place at a stopover made by Tsai on her way back from her Central American trip. The Chinese government had already criticized the planned meeting in advance and warned of a possible meeting.
McCarthy, a Republican, is number three in the United States, after the President and Vice President. China sees a high-level meeting between US and Taiwan officials as a provocation. Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949, but China considers the democratic island part of its national territory. The Chinese leadership responded to a visit by McCarthy’s predecessor, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, to Taiwan last August with military maneuvers lasting several days.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on China not to further fuel tensions between the two countries because of Tsai’s stopover in the United States. “In plain language, this means that Beijing should not use the transit as a pretext for measures to exacerbate tensions (…),” Blinken said in Brussels on Wednesday. High-ranking Taiwanese politicians passing through are nothing new. “They are private, they are unofficial.” This also applies to corresponding meetings.