Los Angeles (USA), Apr 5 (EFE).- US Democratic and Republican legislators held a meeting on Wednesday with the President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, in which they guaranteed their conviction that the United States should continue selling weapons to the island and increase their economic cooperation.
“We take supporting Taiwan seriously. We must first continue arms sales to Taiwan and make sure they get there. Second, we must strengthen our economic cooperation, particularly in trade and technology. And third, we must continue to promote our common values,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told a news conference.
His appearance took place after receiving Tsai in Los Angeles, who is in the United States as part of a trip to Central America and in which he also passed through New York.
The meeting of the president with the legislators took place despite warnings from China, which considered this appointment as a threat to its sovereignty and which days before declared its “firm opposition” to it and advanced that it would take “firm measures” in if it were carried out.
Washington is already Taiwan’s main arms supplier and McCarthy stressed Wednesday that some sales have been delayed and that they addressed today both how to speed up the process and how to increase bilateral trade.
History, in his opinion, has reflected the importance of “providing weapons with which people can defend themselves.” “It is a decisive lesson that we have learned with Ukraine,” said the Republican legislator, who has led the House since last January.
McCarthy considered that “the tension in the world is at its highest point since the Cold War”, but considered that today’s meeting should not be the object of retaliation by Beijing. “Our intention is not (to cause) an escalation. We want to build and promote democracy and freedom,” he said.
The Republican leader stressed that the support of the United States will remain “unwavering and bipartisan” and supported his argument in the joint appearance with Democratic legislators, such as Pete Aguilar, the “number three” of the Democrats in the Lower House.
“When it comes to foreign policy, it is important to work together to advance the interests of the free world. We understand the unique role that Taiwan plays in the region. We are looking forward to more meetings like this in the future,” said the latter.
In a previous appearance with McCarthy, the Taiwanese president had thanked Washington for its support for her island “in defense of its way of life” and stressed that to maintain peace “it is necessary to be strong.”
Before McCarthy took office, he had stated his intention to travel to Taiwan, although in the end the meeting took place in the United States to reduce tension.
When her predecessor Nancy Pelosi visited the island in August 2022, China imposed sanctions on her and, among other reprisals, deployed military maneuvers of unprecedented intensity in the Taiwan Strait.
The current leader of that chamber reiterated today that Beijing is not going to dictate its steps: “I am the president of the House of Representatives. China cannot tell me where I can go or who I can talk to, be it friend or foe,” he concluded. EFE
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