House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is set to meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, in a move that China has called a “provocation.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Will Meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a top Republican who is second in line for the U.S. presidency, will host a bipartisan meeting at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California on Wednesday.
According to Forbes, Tsai will arrive in New York early on Wednesday. She is expected to stay for two days, before traveling to Belize and Guatemala.
According to a published article in the Guardian, China has expressed opposition and called it harmful to regional stability. The Chinese consulate in Los Angeles stated that the meeting would hurt the national feelings of the Chinese people and weaken the political foundation of China-US relations.
However, U.S. officials have maintained that visits and meetings with high-level Taiwanese officials are routine.
According to a published article in NBC News, it is uncertain which other members of Congress will participate in the meeting, but there is a possibility that other Republicans, such as Rep. Mike Gallagher, who leads a House committee on China, might attend.
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McCarthy-Tsai Meeting Could Risk War with China, Experts Warns
The meeting between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Tsai is likely to draw criticism from China, but it may also signal the United States’ commitment to supporting Taiwan’s sovereignty and security.
Despite this, Yale professor Arne Westad, an expert in Chinese history, has expressed concern about the potential for provocations to escalate tensions between the two nations and bring them closer to war.
Westad believes that maintaining the status quo is the only solution that has the potential to avoid war on Taiwan.
In conclusion, the meeting between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Tsai could further strain the already tense relations between the United States and China. As tensions continue to escalate, it remains to be seen how China will respond and whether the U.S. will continue to show support for Taiwan.
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