As the president of Taiwan wraps up her trip to North and Central America, she’s finishing off with a high-profile meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R) and a bipartisan group of members of Congress. China has been issuing warnings about the meeting, with a promise to “fight back” if it happens.
McCarthy’s Wednesday meeting with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-Wen is intended to show support for the island nation as it faces the increasing danger of a takeover by China’s communist regime.
While the moment will raise tensions between the U.S. and China, it’s still a meeting fellow California Congressman Ro Khanna (D) is supporting.
“I think it sends a clear message that American lawmakers can meet with Taiwan, we have an economic relationship with Taiwan, and that there should, under no circumstance, be any military invasion or blockade of Taiwan,” said Rep. Khanna.
Khanna serves on the newly formed House Select Committee on China and also will be meeting with the Taiwanese president. The meeting will be alongside executives from Disney, Apple, and other tech companies who all have economic interests in the Chinese market.
“Disney has Disney parks in China, what do we want to allow, what do we not want to allow, how do we make sure our sensitive technology isn’t getting to China,” said Rep. Khanna.
Tsai landed in New York for what the U.S. carefully calls a “transit” and not an official visit. America’s official position on Taiwan remains the “One China policy,” where Taiwan is acknowledged as part of China but not recognized as controlled by Beijing.
“China firmly opposes the U.S. arrangement for Tsai Ing-Wen’s transit visit and her meeting with House Speaker McCarthy, the No.3 person in the U.S. government. This act seriously violates the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. Joint Communiqués, and gravely undermines China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters this week.
China’s threat of using military force to take Taiwan looms over Tsai’s swing through the U.S.
“I think if we are strong and prudent, we can avoid that. I led a delegation to Taiwan and what I’ve heard from across the Taiwanese community and parties is that they need the United States’ help on training; they need our help for arms which I support getting arms to Taiwan. If they have that preparation that will deter China, and at the same time 40% of their exports are to China. So they want to have engagement and dialogue with China,” said Rep. Khanna.
Tsai already met with House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries when she arrived in New York last week. McCarthy hasn’t ruled out his own trip to Taiwan, something his predecessor Nancy Pelosi did last year. That led to aggressive military drills from China following the visit.
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