US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California

‘The friendship between the people of Taiwan and America is a matter of profound importance to the free world,’ says third-ranking US official

Beijing threatened retaliation, with Chinese embassy in Washington conveying ‘deep concern and firm opposition’ to meeting

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US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (centre) greets Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (left) for a meeting at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Bochen HanandRobert Delaneyin Washington

Published: 2:30am, 6 Apr 2023Updated: 3:38am, 7 Apr 2023

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California on Wednesday, marking the highest-profile gathering of an American official and the self-ruled island’s leader since McCarthy’s predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, met Tsai in Taipei eight months ago.

McCarthy, meeting Tsai at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, was joined by a bipartisan group of 17 other lawmakers including Pete Aguilar of California, the third-ranking House leader in the Democratic Party, as well as 10 members from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

“I believe our bond is stronger now than at any time or point in my lifetime,” McCarthy said, standing next to Tsai after their meeting.

“The friendship between the people of Taiwan and America is a matter of profound importance to the free world and it is critical to maintain economic freedom, peace and regional stability,” he added.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (left) and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy stand together at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California after making statements to the press on Wednesday. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

McCarthy and Tsai cited the legacy of Ronald Reagan and his role in strengthening US-Taiwan relations through the “six assurances” – commitments Washington made to Taipei in 1982 to disregard Beijing’s opposition to US arms sales to the island.

Washington’s one-China policy also includes the three Joint Communiques, agreements that formalised America’s formal diplomatic recognition of the People’s Republic of China, the last of which was signed by Reagan.