House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is set to meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in the United States instead of her home island, which China considers a breakaway province, according to a new report.
Mr. McCarthy, a California Republican, has said he wants to visit Taiwan to show support for the democratic island, similar to the trip former Speaker Nancy Pelosi made last August in defiance of Beijing.
The Financial Times reports that Ms. Tsai will meet with Mr. McCarthy in California as part of an April trip that will include stops in Central America and New York.
Ms. Tsai will speak at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Southern California, the report said. The decision to meet on US soil comes amid strained relations between the US and China and between Taipei and Beijing.
“We have shared some information about what the Chinese Communist Party is up to recently and what threats they pose,” a senior Taiwanese official told the FT.
The Pentagon has been engaged in elaborate planning ahead of Mr. McCarthy’s possible trip.
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China stepped up military exercises and scolded Ms. Pelosi last year when she met with Taiwanese dignitaries and praised the island as a model of democracy in the region.
Earlier this year, Beijing warned Mr McCarthy not to repeat the trip, saying it would violate the “one China” policy, in which the US government recognizes Beijing’s belief in a unified Chinese government while allowing informal relations with Taiwan.
The Washington Times reached out to Mr. McCarthy’s office for comment.
