Taiwan leader and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meet in US despite Chinese warnings

US National Security Council spokesman says 'there’s no reason for the Chinese to overreact in any way' over Tsai Ing-wen's visit

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy greets Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. AFP

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen in California on Wednesday, becoming the most senior US official to meet a Taiwanese leader on American soil since 1979.

Mr McCarthy, a Republican who through his position in the House of Representatives is number three in the US leadership hierarchy, hosted Ms Tsai at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, near Los Angeles.

At a meeting including other Republican and Democratic politicians, he called Ms Tsai “a great friend to America”.

“Their presence and unwavering support reassure the people of Taiwan that we are not isolated and we are not alone,” Ms Tsai told reporters after the meeting concluded.

Mr McCarthy added: “We will continue to find ways for the people of America and Taiwan to work together to promote economic freedom, democracy, peace and stability in Asia.”

Under a 1978 agreement that normalised relations, the US agreed to recognise Beijing as the sole seat of China’s government, while acknowledging but not endorsing the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of it.

The US has insisted that any reunification of the island with the mainland must be peaceful.

China staged war games around Taiwan last August following the visit to Taipei of then-House speaker Nancy Pelosi. Taiwan's defence ministry said a Chinese aircraft carrier group had entered the waters off the island's south-east coast before the meeting.

Beijing had repeatedly warned against a meeting between Mr McCarthy and Ms Tsai, although some analysts expect its reaction to be more moderate than that to Ms Pelosi's Taipei visit.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said there was nothing new about a Taiwanese president transiting through the US and Beijing should not use it as an excuse to take action or ratchet up tension.

“There’s no reason for the Chinese to overreact in any way,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday. “We’ll watch this as closely as we can.”

However, the US, which is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, has stepped up interactions with Taipei in recent years as Beijing's pressure on the island has increased.

Agencies contributed to this report