McCarthy, Taiwan's leader meet in California despite threats from China

Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen gathered alongside a bipartisan group of House lawmakers Wednesday outside of Los Angeles, projecting a united democratic front that brushed aside stern warnings from China that the meeting not go forward.

The high-profile confab, which occurred at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, marks a concrete step in furtherance of one of McCarthy’s top priorities: pushing back on the influence of China. McCarthy becomes the highest U.S. official to meet with Taiwan’s leader on domestic soil since the U.S. established formal diplomatic ties with China in 1979.

“I believe our bond is stronger now than at any time or point in my lifetime,” McCarthy said at a joint press conference with Tsai. “Today was a bipartisan meeting — Republicans and Democrats united together — in a place that symbolizes the freedom and the commitment and the bond that’s only become stronger with the president with us today.”

The speaker later added at a press conference alongside members from both parties: "We live in a decisive moment in history and must act with urgency. Tensions in the world are at this highest point since the end of the Cold War, as authoritarian leaders seek to use violence and fear to provoke needless conflict."

McCarthy called for continued arms sales to the island, further economic cooperation and the promotion of "our shared values on the world stage." He reiterated multiple times the desire to avoid any sort of conflict between China and Taiwan.

"It is not our intention to escalate" tensions with China, McCarthy said of Wednesday's meeting. "There's no need for retaliation. ... There is no place that China is going to tell me where I can go or who I can speak to — whether you be foe or whether you be friend."

McCarthy said he had no "current plans" to visit the island, "but that doesn't mean I will not go," adding he would travel to Taiwan with members of both parties if he goes. He also declined to answer whether he would invite Tsai to address the Congress.

Tsai shook hands with McCarthy upon arriving shortly after 10 a.m. local time. She met with the speaker, then approximately a dozen and a half Republican and Democratic lawmakers. McCarthy went around the room introducing Tsai to every member.

The Taiwanese president thanked the House members for coming together in support of her country’s freedom.

“Their presence and unwavering support reassure the people of Taiwan that we are not isolated and we are not alone,” Tsai said. “In the discussion with congressional leaders this morning, I reiterated Taiwan's commitment to defending the peaceful status quo — where the people of Taiwan may continue to thrive in a free and open society.”

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), chair of the House Democratic Caucus, was the highest-ranking member of his party in attendance. Others present included Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the leaders of the House panel aimed at countering the influence of China.

"We are not afraid," Gallagher said afterward. "We support our friends in Taiwan. We're going to keep saying that whenever we have the opportunity, and we're going to turn those words into action this Congress — bipartisan action — because Taiwan is a small, but very bright candle burning at the edge of a vast authoritarian darkness."

Video from the scene showed an airplane hoisting a banner that read “One China! Taiwan is part of China!” as the president arrived, flanked by protesters along the street spanning the full spectrum of views on Taiwan’s status.

The visit came even as China has threatened consequences if it went forward. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), who participated in the meeting, posted a message from a Chinese official to her office that read in part: “China will not sit idly by in the face of a blatant provocation and will most likely take necessary and resolute actions in response to the unwanted situation.”

The White House reiterated on Wednesday that China shouldn't take Tsai’s California layover as a provocation. After then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island in August, Beijing responded with a muscular show of military exercises around the island.

“There is no reason for [Beijing] to overreact,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday. Tsai’s presence in California “is not uncommon, it's not official and there's no reason for them to react in any sort of an aggressive manner because she's not meeting with any administration officials,” Kirby said.

Pelosi issued a remarkable statement praising the McCarthy-Tsai meeting "for its leadership, its bipartisan participation and its distinguished and historic venue."

Beijing indicated it was readying a military show of force in response to Tsai’s meeting with McCarthy by deploying 14 military aircraft and three naval vessels around the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, the island’s defense ministry said in a statement. That deployment “not only poses a real threat to our national security, but also undermines the status quo of regional security and stability,” the ministry said in a separate statement.

China views the self-governing island of Taiwan as part of its territory and has ratcheted up tough talk in recent months about bringing it back under its control — including by force.

The meeting with McCarthy marks the end of a weeklong trip to North America and Central America in which Tsai met with other U.S. lawmakers, as well. She saw House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries while in New York last week, as well as a bipartisan trio of senators — Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).

Phelim Kine contributed to this report.