How McCarthy’s meeting with president of Taiwan could impact U.S.-China relations

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• Geoff Bennett:

  For the first 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 Schifrin:

  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.

• Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA):

  I'm optimistic that we will 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 Schifrin:

  After the meeting, McCarthy and Tsai swore solidarity against an unnamed Beijing.

• Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwanese President:

  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 Schifrin:

  Tsai has visited 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.

  Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State: Beijing should not use the transits as an excuse to take any actions to ratchet up tensions.

• Nick Schifrin:

  But, 6,500 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."

  Zhu Fenglian, Spokesperson, Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council (through translator): It will be another provocation. We firmly oppose this and will take resolute countermeasures to fight back.

  (APPLAUSE)

• Nick Schifrin:

  Last summer, after then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, Beijing fired 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 calls Tsai 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. And, after the meeting, McCarthy said he wanted dialogue with Beijing, but also endorsed faster weapons deliveries.

• Rep. Kevin McCarthy:

  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 Schifrin:

  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.

  Bonnie Glaser, thanks very much. Welcome back to the "NewsHour."

  As we pointed out, this is President Tsai's seventh trip through the United States. So why is Beijing seeming — seemingly so angry?

• Bonnie Glaser, German Marshall Fund:

  Well, 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 don't want officials meeting with Tsai, and they don't want Tsai transiting through the United States.

  So the Chinese have objected to everything about this visit, because, of course, they see it as challenging their sovereignty that they claim over Taiwan. They see this as challenging their claim of their need for territorial integrity. And Xi Jinping, I think, does not want to look weak on this issue.

• Nick Schifrin:

  We heard from the Chinese Foreign Ministry there earlier in the story one of the threats that they have made.

  Last week, Chinese — China's deputy ambassador to the U.S., on a call with me and a few other reporters, warned the McCarthy visit would lead to — quote — "serious, serious, serious, I repeat, confrontation" — end quote.

  Will it?

• Bonnie Glaser:

  Well, there certainly is a possibility that China will engage in a display of force, maybe go beyond what they did when Speaker Pelosi was in Taiwan.

  And, at that time, they simulated 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, for example, 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 seventh time that Present Tsai Ing-wen has transited in the United States.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Yes, there's been an unusually high number of calls with reporters in the last couple of weeks trying to emphasize that point, that there is nothing to see here.

  But let's zoom out. The Biden administration has taken pains, and Speaker McCarthy actually did as well today, that U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed. But on three distinct occasions, President Biden said specifically that the U.S. would defend Taiwan if needed.

  So are there mixed messages today coming from Washington?

• Bonnie Glaser:

  Well, I think that the United States has sent some confusing messages on Taiwan.

  Yes, our Taiwan Relations Act does not say that we have an obligation to defend Taiwan. And President Biden, as the president, has the right to say that he would call for a defense of Taiwan if China invades. It's not what is in the Taiwan Relations Act.

  But 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, very worrisome.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Absolutely.

  Let's shift to China itself and Beijing. And we want to show a couple photos, because President Emmanuel Macron of France has arrived on a state visit in Beijing. He 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 — quote — "We have no intention of joining a U.S. campaign to isolate China."

  Are the United States and France and Europe are on the same — are they on the same page when it comes to China?

• Bonnie Glaser:

  Well, 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, asking Xi Jinping 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 Scholz, when he visited Beijing, also bring businesses with him.

  But I do think that the trend in Europe is toward greater concern about the threats and challenges that China poses. And so I think there is room to work together, but we're not going to be in the same page on every issue.

• Nick Schifrin:

  But does that change Beijing's calculus when it comes to Taiwan, both the U.S. efforts to try and get Europe and Japan and South Korea more aligned with how Washington is, but, at the same time, these European efforts to maintain, at the very least, economic ties?

• Bonnie Glaser:

  Well, the Europeans, I think, are increasingly concerned about the preservation of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

  And we have had a study last year that — by the Rhodium 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, no, the Europeans are not interested in getting involved in a war, would there be one, but they can play a role in strengthening deterrence. And, privately, I certainly hope that France's President Macron raises the issue of Taiwan, although he has said he may not do so. Maybe we will see von der Leyen raise this issue with Xi Jinping.

  It is important for other countries to voice their concerns to the Chinese.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, who is also on that trip with President Macron of France.

  Bonnie Glaser of the German Marshall Fund, thank you very much.

• Bonnie Glaser:

  Thank you.