Commentary
Talk of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) caving to China by not making a trip to Taiwan, as he said in July he would “love to do,” is a step backward for the United States and its partners in Asia.
McCarthy and Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen announced a meeting in the United States, which is good, but it is causing speculation that they will backtrack on the precedent set by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) when she visited the island democracy in August and “set a new status quo.”
After reports of McCarthy’s plans to visit Taiwan, as early as within the next couple of months, Beijing warned against official interactions with the country. Now Beijing’s threats appear to be pushing McCarthy to moderate his enthusiasm….