House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in the United States rather than on her home island, which China views as a breakaway province, according to a new report.
McCarthy, a California Republican, has said he wants to visit Taiwan to show his support for the democratic island, similar to the trip former President Nancy Pelosi took last August in defiance of Beijing.
The Financial Times reports that Ms Tsai will meet Mr McCarthy in California as part of an April trip that will include stops in Central America and New York.
The report says that Ms. Tsai is scheduled to speak at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Southern California. The decision to meet on American soil stems from tense relations between the United States and China and between Taipei and Beijing.
“We share some intelligence on what the Chinese Communist Party is doing recently and the types of threats they pose,” a senior Taiwanese official told the FT.
The Pentagon had been involved in some thorny planning ahead of McCarthy’s possible trip.
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China stepped up military exercises and scolded Ms Pelosi last year when she met Taiwanese dignitaries and hailed the island as a model of democracy in the region.
Earlier this year, Beijing warned McCarthy not to repeat the trip, arguing it would violate the “one China” policy, in which the US government acknowledges Beijing’s belief in one Chinese government at the same time. that allows informal relations with Taiwan.
The Washington Times has contacted Mr. McCarthy’s office for comment.