TSAI ING-WEN. AP.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen departed for a trip to Central America that will include stopovers in the U.S.
Beijing threatened to retaliate if Tsai meets with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during her trip.
- Tsai is expected to arrive in New York today before traveling to Guatemala and Belize, and plans to transit through Los Angeles on her return journey, where she is expected to meet with McCarthy.
- Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, noted that Tsai may meet U.S. officials and lawmakers during her transit through the U.S.
- Zhu warned Tsai that meeting with McCarthy would be viewed by Beijing as "another provocation," that would harm "peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."
- Senior U.S. officials said Beijing should not use Tsai's trip to the U.S. "as an excuse or a pretext to carry out aggressive or coercive activities aimed at Taiwan,"
- Tsai said on Wednesday that "external pressure will not hinder our determination to go to the world."
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