China threatens retaliation over U.S. meeting with Taiwan’s president

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Tsai Ing-wen met with U.S. lawmakers in California. Associated Press/Photo by Ringo H.W. Chiu

China threatens retaliation over U.S. meeting with Taiwan’s president

United States House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday hosted a meeting in Los Angeles, Calif., for Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and about a dozen other U.S. lawmakers. Tsai traveled to the United States following her trip this week to Guatemala and Belize where she shored up diplomatic partnerships. Honduras last month severed its decades-long relationship with the island’s democratic government in Taipei and established diplomatic ties with Beijing. Tsai last week visited New York where she met with members of the Hudson Institute and several senators.

How has China responded to the meeting? Beijing on Wednesday threatened retaliation if American leaders meet with Tsai. Beijing does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation and claims the island as its territory. Chinese forces fired missiles into the waters surrounding the island and flew warplanes through the Taiwan Strait last year when then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei.

Dig deeper: Listen to Cal Thomas’ report on The World and Everything in It podcast about Beijing’s aggressive agenda and why it must be opposed.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.