‘I’m the Speaker of the House’: McCarthy Dismisses China’s Fury Over Meeting With Taiwan President

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R, Calif.) has rejected China’s objection to his meeting this week with Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, stating that he will not let any communist regime dictate to him who he can or cannot speak with.

McCarthy, who met with Tsai on Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., held discussions regarding Taiwan’s self-defense, trade, and economic relations between Tsai’s country and the world. This comes at a time when China has expressed its fury over the US politicians meeting with Taiwanese leaders. 

China issued a statement last week, saying that it “firmly opposes and strongly condemns” Tsai’s visit, which it sees as an affront to its claims of control over the island nation. It promised “resolute and forceful measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Another statement from China’s foreign ministry referred to the meeting as “U.S.-Taiwan collusion.”

China has been critical of past meetings between American and Taiwanese leaders, and the country’s reaction to this particular meeting has sparked concerns of potential military action. Following Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last August, China launched its largest live-fire drills in decades and fired a missile over Taiwan.

Despite China’s objections, McCarthy and Tsai steered away from making firm declarations on issues such as a tougher stance on China or a US military commitment to defend Taiwan from invasion.