time, a Taiwanese president has
met a speaker of the house on
U.S. Soil.
Today's meeting between
president Tsai ING wen, speaker
Kevin Mccarthy, and more than a
dozen lawmakers, took place
despite beijing's threats of a
serious response.
Nick schifrin reports.
Nick: At the Reagan library, the
second in line to the U.S.
Presidency, in front of dozens
of cameras, initiated the
handshake that beijing had tried
to block.
Speaker of the house Kevin
Mccarthy, and Taiwanese
president Tsai ing-wen, met for
two hours, with more than a
dozen lawmakers of both parties.
>> I'm optimistic that we'll
continue to find ways for the
people of America and Taiwan to
work together to promote
economic freedom, democracy,
peace, and stability in the
region.
Nick: After the meeting,
Mccarthy and Tsai swore
solidarity against an unnamed
beijing.
>> The peace that we have
maintained, and the democracy
which we have worked hard to
build, are facing unprecedented
challenges.
We once again find ourselves in
a world where democracy is under
threat.
Nick: Tsai has visited the us 6
-- the U.S. Six times previously
since becoming president in
2016.
The Biden administration calls
the U.S. Visits "Transits,"
between Tsai's visits to Latin
American countries with
diplomatic relations with
Taipei.
Today, secretary of state Antony
blinken urged China not to
overreact.
>> Beijing should not use the
transits as an excuse to take
any actions to ratchet up
tensions.
Nick: But 6500 miles away,
beijing has hinted at a military
response.
And after exercises last
weekend, today, Taiwan said
China sailed an aircraft carrier
group off Taiwan's southeast
coast.
Before the meeting, beijing
warned the U.S. Was, quote,
"Playing with fire."
>> It will be another
provocation.
We firmly oppose this and will
take resolute countermeasures to
fight back.
[Applause]
Nick: Last summer, after then
speaker of the house Nancy's
hello please visit -- Nancy
Pelosi's visit to Taiwan,
missiles that landed within
Taiwan's territorial waters,
part of the largest military
exercises around the island in
25 years.
Beijing considers Taiwan
breakaway territory, and refers
to Tsai as the governor of a
Chinese province.
U.S. Policy, as enshrined in a
1972 communique, "Acknowledges
that all Chinese on both sides
of the Taiwan strait maintain
that there is one China and
Taiwan is a part of China."
But it is also us policy to help
Taiwan defend itself.
And the Biden administration has
accelerated the deliveries of
billions of dollars of weapons.
After the meeting, Mccarthy said
he wanted dialogue with beijing,
but also endorsed faster weapons
deliveries.
>> Supply the weapons to allow
people to deter war.
Supply the weapons so people can
defend themselves.
It is a critical lesson that we
learned through Ukraine.
Nick: So how is China likely to
respond, and what impact will
today's meeting have on
u.s.-china relations?
Bonnie glaser is managing
director of the indo-pacific
program at the German Marshall
fund of the United States, a
public policy think tank.
Thanks very much seventh trip
through the United States so why
is beijing seemingly so angry?
Bonnie: The Chinese were upset
when speaker Nancy Pelosi
visited Taiwan.
They have warned again that they
do not want contacts between
somebody who is second in line
for the presidency.
They do not want officials
meeting with him and they don't
want him transiting through the
United States so the Chinese
have objected to everything
about this visit.
They see it as challenging
sovereignty that they claim over
Taiwan.
They see this as challenging
their claim, their need for
territorial integrity.
XI jinping does not want to look
weak on this issue.
Geoff: We heard from the Chinese
foreign ministry earlier in the
story that one of the threats
that they have made, last week,
China's deputy abbasid are to
the U.S. -- Ambassador warned
the Mccarthy visit would be to
"Serious, serious, serious, I
repeat, confrontation."
Well it? -- Will it?
Bonnie: There's a possibility
China will display force, may be
go beyond what they did when
speaker Pelosi was seen Taiwan
and at that time, they
assimilated a blockade.
They flew missiles over Taiwan,
some of which landed in the
exclusive economic zone of
Japan.
So we could see something
similar.
We could even see the Chinese
ratchet up tensions and try to
fly aircraft in Taiwan's
territorial airspace, something
that they have not done.
But as you know, the Biden
administration has encouraged
beijing not to respond strongly,
not to overreact, because as you
said, this is the severance time
that the president has transit
in the United States.
Geoff: There has been an
unusually high number of calls
with reporters trying to
emphasize that point that there
is nothing to see here but let's
zoom out.
The Biden administration has
taken pays and speaker Mccarthy
did as well today that U.S.
Policy on Taiwan has not
changed.
On three distinct occasions,
president Biden said
specifically that the U.S. Would
defend Taiwan if needed.
Are there mixed messages today
coming from Washington?
>> I think that the united
States has sent some confusing
messages on Taiwan.
Our Taiwan relations act does
not say we have an obligation to
defend Taiwan.
President Biden as the president
has the right to say that he
would call for a defense of
Taiwan if China invades.
It is not what is in the Taiwan
relations act.
President Biden has also said
that Taiwan is a democracy and
should be allowed to do what it
wants and my guess is that
beijing finds that response very
worrisome.
Geoff: Absolutely.
Let's shift to China and
beijing.
We want to show a couple photos
because president Emmanuel
macron of France arrived on a
state visit in beijing and
brings with him 50 business
leaders.
French officials say they expect
to make deals.
That dialogue is important and
one French official told one of
your colleagues "We have no
intention of joining a U.S.
Campaign to isolate China."
Are the United States and France
in Europe, are they on the same
page when it comes to China?
Bonnie: I think that the U.S.
And most of the countries in
Europe are on the same page when
it comes to Ukraine opposing
China, providing any lethal aid
to Moscow in the war in Ukraine.
It is asking XI jinping to step
up and pressure president Putin,
to stop the war.
But when it comes to the
relationship with China, I think
that there certainly is greater
emphasis on commercial ties with
China.
Macron obviously would like to
sign deals with Chinese
companies.
I think that we have seen
chancellor Schulz when he
visited beijing, also bring
businesses with him.
I think the trend in Europe is
toward greater concern about the
threats and challenges that
China poses so I think there is
room to work together but we are
not going to be in the same page
on every issue.
>> Does that change beijing's
calculus when it comes to
Taiwan, the efforts to get them
more aligned with how Washington
is?
But at the same time, these
European efforts to maintain at
the very least economic ties.
Bonnie: The Europeans I think
are increasingly concerned about
the preservation of peace and
stability in the Taiwan strait.
We have had a study last year by
the group in New York that
mentioned that there would be
over $2 trillion of an impact on
the global economy if China were
to impose a blockade around
Taiwan and not even fire a shot.
I think that got the attention
-- the attention of the
Europeans but at the same time,
the Europeans are not interested
in getting involved in a war
should there be one that they
can play a role in strengthening
deterrence and privately, I
certainly hope that France's
president macron raises the
issue of president macron
although he said he may not do
so.
Maybe we will see wonder lion --
we will see the representative
raise this issue with XI
jinping.
It's important for other
countries to voice their
concerns to the Chinese.
>> The president of the European
commission who is on that trip.
Thank you very much.
>> Thank you.