Tsai-McCarthy meeting switched US from Taiwan, reports say

A highly anticipated but also highly sensitive meeting between US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen is reported to take place in California instead of Taiwan after Tsai “convinced” the US side of China’s possible angry response.

Britain’s Financial Times was first to report the relocation of the meeting, which was initially expected to take place during a planned visit by McCarthy to the democratic island.

In January, punch news, a Washington-based political website, reported that the Pentagon was “preparing” for the Speaker of the House to visit Taipei later this year. The news outlet added that preparation was in an “early stage” and that it would be “a Herculean effort for the Pentagon” and another “diplomatic standoff” between the US and China.

Beijing considers Taiwan a Chinese province and repeatedly protests against the involvement of “external forces” in cross-strait politics.

McCarthy’s predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, paid a historic visit to Taiwan in August 2022, the first by a speaker of the US House of Representatives in 25 years. China responded by staging a week-long multi-branch military exercise around the island.

According to the latest press reports, President Tsai will pay a visit to the Americas in early April. The tour would include stops in Guatemala, Belize and the United States, both in New York and California.

Republican Kevin McCarthy represents California’s 20th District.

The Taiwanese president has also reportedly accepted an invitation to speak at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Southern California.

reduce tension

Some analysts see the change of venue as a measure to reduce tension.

“If the arrangements have been coordinated as we have seen, then the three parties can declare victory and reduce the tension in the Taiwan Strait,” said Alexander Huang, a professor at Tamkang University in Taipei and a former vice minister of the Council for Foreign Affairs. Taiwan mainland.

“The key remains what Tsai will say during the meetings and the speech,” he said.

Huang, who in his dual capacity as head of the Kuomintang Party’s Department of International Affairs paid a visit to the US in February, said earlier that, based on discussions with McCarthy aides and aides of other Republicans in on Capitol Hill, I was under the impression that McCarthy would “definitely” visit Taiwan at some point.

Beijing has already shown discontent, with new foreign minister Qin Gang telling reporters at the National People’s Congress (NPC) meeting in Beijing that Taiwan is “inseparable from the motherland” China and that “if the problem of Taiwan is not handled well, relations between China and the United States will be shaken.”

Whether the speaker of the US House of Representatives visits Taiwan or not, “China will show its discontent either way,” said Wen-Ti Sung, a political scientist with the Taiwan Studies Program at Australian National University.

“To avoid the impression of weakness, Taiwan and the US can frame this meeting in California not as a replacement for an actual visit by Kevin McCarthy to Taiwan, but as an addition to it,” Sung suggested.

“I mean, it’s an appetizer. A visit to Taiwan will be the main course,” she said, “The presence of an appetizer now does not rule out the presence of the main course in the future.”

‘No information’

Responding to questions about the Tsai-McCarthy meeting, US Department of State. Ned Price spokesman On Monday, he said it is up to members of Congress to decide “the nature of the meetings” they are going to hold.

However, Price denied being “aware of any confirmed travel by President Tsai to the United States.”

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu also declined to comment on Tuesday, saying he is not in a position to make any announcement, but if necessary, his ministry will “arrange the best possible visit.”
Meanwhile, Taiwanese Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng has denied that any visits by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives to Taiwan will be canceled in the face of threats from China.

Chiu told the Legislative Yuan (Taiwan’s legislature) on Tuesday that Taiwan wishes to have more friends who care about peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and if international friends want to show their support, “we can only welcome ”.

The minister said that China has been looking for reasons to attack Taiwan, such as military purchases, visits to Taiwan by senior officials from other countries, or military exchanges between Taiwan and other countries.

Last August, when Pelosi paid her visit to Taipei, Chinese warships approached the contiguous waters of the island, the area that extends 24 nautical miles (44.4 kilometers) from the shores.

“This year, they are likely to make closer forays, including into Taiwan’s 12-nautical-mile territorial waters,” Chiu said.

Taiwan will not allow “repeated provocations,” the minister said, but insisted that its forces “will moderate and not launch the first attack.”