Taiwan defiant as China warns of US trip reprisal

STORY: Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen hit a defiant note on Wednesday (March 29), after China threatened retaliation if she met House Speaker Kevin McCarthy while transiting through the United States this week.

She spoke at a Taiwan airport before leaving for the U.S..

"Taiwan's determination to go global will only grow stronger. Taiwan is the world's Taiwan. Leading Taiwan to the world and bringing the world into Taiwan is an important goal of our administration. External pressure will not hinder our determination to go to the world. We are calm and confident, will neither yield nor provoke."

China, which claims democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly warned U.S. officials not to meet Tsai, viewing it as support for the island's desire to be seen as a separate country.

A spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhu Fenglian, told reporters it would be "another provocation that seriously violates the one-China principle, harms China's sovereignty and territorial integrity" if Tsai were to have contact with McCarthy.

Adding that China, "firmly opposes this and will definitely take measures to resolutely fight back."

China staged war games around Taiwan last August when then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei.

Taiwan's armed forces have said they are keeping watch for any Chinese moves when Tsai is abroad.

Tsai is going to Guatemala and Belize, transiting through New York first and Los Angeles on the way back. While not officially confirmed, she is expected to meet McCarthy while in California.

Taiwanese presidents routinely pass through the United States while visiting diplomatic allies in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, which, although not official visits, are often used by both sides for high-level meetings.