Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen gathered with US House Speaker Kevin  McCarthy and a bipartisan group of US lawmakers at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California’s Simi Valley a highly anticipated event that marked a show of democratic solidarity in defiance of threats from China. The landmark meeting is the second time Tsai has met with an American lawmaker of that rank in the space of a year, following a visit from then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in August. Tsai is also the first president of Taiwan to meet with a US House speaker on American soil.

 Edited by| Christian Megan

 Politic   section -  CJ journalist

California   - April,5,2023

     “It is no secret that today the peace we have maintained and the democracy which (we) have worked hard to build are facing unprecedented challenges,” Tsai said in remarks alongside McCarthy. “We once again find ourselves in a world where democracy is under threat and the urgency of keeping the beacon of freedom shining cannot be understated.”

The meeting gave both Tsai and McCarthy a prominent platform to highlight US-Taiwan ties.

“The friendship between the people of Taiwan and America is a matter of profound importance to the free world. It is critical to maintaining economic freedom, peace, and regional stability,” McCarthy said.

“We’re stronger when we are together,” Tsai said. “In our efforts to protect our way of life, Taiwan is grateful to have the United States by our side.”

China dispatched several maritime vessels near Taiwan’s coast, ahead of the meeting between Tsai and McCarthy. On Wednesday night local time, Beijing sent a “large scale patrol and rescue vessel” to the central and northern Taiwan Strait for a three-day “joint patrol and inspection” operation, China’s Fujian Maritime Safety Administration said in a statement.

The Defense Department has not sent any additional assets to the Indo-Pacific region in preparation for any aggressive response by China, a Pentagon spokesperson told reporters Wednesday.

      Tsai’s delegation made a planned stopover in California following official visits to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies Guatemala and Belize – part of a 10-day tour to shore up Taipei’s overseas relationships amid increasing pressure from Beijing.

Beijing promised to 'fight back' over Taiwan leader's US visit. But this time it has more to lose

China’s Consulate General in Los Angeles condemned the anticipated meeting with McCarthy as “not conducive to regional peace, security, and stability,” warning it would “undermine the political foundation” of China-US relations.

“We will closely follow the development of the situation and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the consulate said in a Monday statement – one of the multiple condemnations from Chinese officials in recent weeks as reports of the meeting emerged.

Tsai struck a defiant tone when setting out on her international tour late last month, telling reporters that “external pressure” wouldn’t stop Taiwan from connecting with the world and like-minded democracies.

“Taiwan will not back down, and friends in the US who support Taiwan and Taiwan-US relations will not back down either. Democratic partners will only become more united and have more frequent exchanges,” the statement said.

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