Meeting planned between US House Speaker McCarthy and Taiwan president

Robert Besser
09 Mar 2023, 23:19 GMT+10

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy plans to meet Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen in the US during his upcoming visit
The meeting could replace Republican McCarthy's anticipated but sensitive trip to the democratically governed island claimed by China
Tsai was invited to speak at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library during a transit through California on a planned visit to Central America

WASHINGTON D.C.: US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy plans to meet Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen in the US during his upcoming visit.

The meeting could replace Republican McCarthy's anticipated but sensitive trip to the democratically governed island claimed by China.

Tsai was invited to speak at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library during a transit through California on a planned visit to Central America, and McCarthy was likely to meet her in the US, the report said.

If the US meeting goes forward, most likely in April, it did not necessarily rule out McCarthy visiting Taiwan in the future, the report added.

The Financial Times first reported the plans to meet in California.

During an earlier CNBC interview, McCarthy declined to say whether he would visit Taiwan.

When asked about the meeting, Taiwan's de facto embassy in Washington told Reuters it had "no information to share."

China regards engagements between US and Taiwanese officials as a breach of its sovereignty, especially as the Speaker of the House is second in line to the US presidency.

In 2022, former speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, defied warnings from Beijing and visited Taiwan to meet Tsai. In response, China launched military drills around the island.

Like most countries, the US does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taipei, but is bound by US law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.