Citing Reagan: Tsai Ing-wen met with Kevin McCarthy in the US

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met in California. The American politician thus became the highest-ranking US official since 1979 to speak with a Taiwanese leader on American soil. The Tsai-McCarthy meeting took place despite threats of retaliatory measures from China, which views the self-governing island of Taiwan as its province, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.

At the general press conference after the meeting, Tsai thanked the US Congress for supporting Taiwan when democracy was threatened. She stated that in the conversation with McCarthy and the congressmen from the Democratic and Republican parties who were present, she quoted the words of former US President Ronald Reagan, "to keep the peace, we must be strong", and pointed out that these words completely coincided with her understandings.

"I would add that we are stronger when we are together," she said in McCarthy's presence after the meeting, held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

"The friendship between the peoples of Taiwan and America is of great importance to the free world. It is extremely important that we preserve economic freedom, peace and regional stability," said McCarthy, who, as speaker of the House, is effectively the number three man in the American government's hierarchy. "We will honor our commitments and reaffirm our commitment to our shared values that unite all Americans."

Last August, China began military exercises following a visit to Taipei by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Taiwan's defense ministry said a group of Chinese warships had been spotted in waters off the island's southeast coast ahead of the Tsai-McCarthy meeting

At a press conference in Brussels, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Tsai was only "in transit" through the US, and added that such "private" and "unofficial" stops on American soil should not be expected to change Washington's policy.

"Beijing should not use this transit through US territory as a justification for any actions to inflame tensions or for new attempts to change the status quo in the region," the head of US diplomacy said.

Before Tsai and McCarthy arrived for the meeting, people with Taiwanese flags and banners in support of Taiwan and Hong Kong had gathered in the parking lot outside the library, chanting "Forward Taiwan."

Then a small plane flew over the library with a pro-Beijing banner reading "United China! Taiwan is part of China!"

The meeting is sure to provoke a sharp reaction from Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and has threatened to regain control of the island if necessary by force.

China has repeatedly warned against the Tsai-McCarthy meeting, although some analysts say Beijing's response this time has been more moderate than during Pelosi's visit.

The meeting in California is seen as potentially less provocative than the option of McCarthy visiting Taiwan.

After the meeting with Tsai, the speaker of the US House of Representatives said he had no plans to visit the island for now, but added that this did not mean he would not visit it. McCarthy said China cannot tell him where to go or who to meet, and urged Beijing not to retaliate over his meeting with the Taiwanese president and to hold a dialogue with Washington.

According to the American politician, the USA does not wish for an escalation of tensions with China.

McCarthy indicated that the meeting with Tsai discussed how to speed up the delivery of American weapons to the island.

The House speaker is the most senior US politician a Taiwanese president has met on American soil since Washington reversed course in 1979 and established diplomatic relations with Beijing, recognizing the government there, not that in Taipei, as the legitimate one government of China.

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