U.S. house speaker: U.S. to sell more weapons to Taiwan

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen met up with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who is third in command in the country, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California on Wednesday (local time). It became the first instance for a Taiwanese president to meet the house speaker on U.S. soil in 44 years since 1979 when the U.S. government forged diplomatic relations with China while severing its relations with Taiwan. The news was met with uneasiness from the Chinese government, which consequently announced that it would take resolute and stringent action. It was a warning message that any attempt to use Taiwan to gain its grip on China would only cause Washington to be burned to death by the fire that it sets.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said during the meeting that weaponry needs to be sold to Taiwan in a timely manner, adding that Washington will increase the sale of weapons and bring forward the timing of sale. President Tsai responded that Taiwan could stand stronger only when it joins forces with the United States, quoting a phrase from the Analects: The virtuous are never lonely and always have neighbors. Bipartisan support from U.S. politics was explicitly provided to Taiwan, with 10 lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party and the opposition Republican Party also attending the meeting.

Five Chinese government agencies – the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, the Taiwan Affairs Office led by the State Council of the People's Republic of China, the National People's Congress Foreign Affairs Committee, and the Chinese Embassy in the United States of America – issued a joint statement to express strong opposition. Additionally, Beijing strengthened its military presence with Taiwan in mind, just as it did when then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a visit to Taiwan last August. On Wednesday, the People's Liberation Army sent the Vessel SHANDONG, a Chinese aircraft carrier, into the waters 370 kilometers away from eastern Taiwan.


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