Published: Less than 20 min ago
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Republican Kevin McCarthy, has welcomed Taiwan’s president to the US. They both met in Simi Valley at the Ronald Reagan Library, near Los Angeles.
Even before it took place, the meeting had greatly angered China. Beijing views Taiwan as part of Mainland China and views any communication between the US and Taiwan as a challenge and provocation.
McCarthy cordially shook hands with Tsai In-wen when they met outside the library.
The US visit is technically a stopover for the Taiwanese president, who has been on state visits to Belize and Guatemala, the country’s only two remaining allies in Central America.
Pressure on Taiwan has increased significantly recently, with repeated Chinese threats and Chinese warplanes flying towards the island on an almost daily basis. At the same time, Taipei’s allies are becoming fewer as Beijing expands its sphere of interest.
Tensions between Taiwan and China also grew when McCarthy’s successor in the post of speaker, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan in the summer of 2022.