US House Speaker McCarthy Visit ‘Just a Matter of Timing,’ Taiwan Official Says

(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan still expects US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to visit, the head of the democracy's legislature said, setting up the possibility of a repeat of tensions seen last year when Nancy Pelosi made the trip.

“I extended an invite to McCarthy to come visit before he became House speaker,” You Si-kun, the speaker of Taiwan's Legislative Yuan, said Friday in Taipei alongside visiting US lawmakers including Michael McCaul, the Republican head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“I understand that Speaker McCarthy is a person of promise. It's just a matter of timing.”

McCarthy met Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen earlier this week in Los Angeles, stressing the importance of the relationship between the two sides to economic freedom, peace and stability in the region. 

The location was apparently chosen to avoid a repeat of the tensions seen in August, when Pelosi became the first sitting House speaker in 25 years to visit Taiwan. China practiced a blockade of Taiwan and sent missiles overhead in response to the Tsai-Pelosi talks.

Speaking at the same briefing as You, McCaul said the US wants to move forward on free-trade and double-taxation agreements with Taiwan. 

Taiwan officials want a deal similar to the kind the US has with dozens of countries to get around whopping tax bills that could deter investors. An agreement would likely anger Beijing because it could be seen as a step toward recognition of Taiwan. China considers the democracy part of its territory.

You avoided a question over whether he'd prefer the US adopt a clearer policy regarding Taiwan, saying it was clear enough though it wasn't spelled out.

The US's traditional policy is sometimes referred to as “strategic ambiguity,” which aims to deter China by being vague about America's intentions. 

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

©2023 Bloomberg L.P.