House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was defiant Wednesday after Chinese officials declared the hosting of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen "seriously violates the one-China principal" and the "provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques."
"There is no place that China is going to tell me where I can go or who I can speak to, whether you be foe or whether you be friend," McCarthy, R-Calif., said during the summit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.
Later Wednesday on "The Ingraham Angle," McCarthy expounded upon his commitment to act decisively in his role as third in line to the presidency without regard for foreign governments' wishes and whims.
"China can never tell us what to do. As speaker of the House, I'm going to meet with whoever we want to meet with, with whatever country," he said, then taking a swipe at American entities like the National Basketball Association, which is seen as too cozy with the Chinese Communist Party.
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"Look, I am not the general manager of the Houston Rockets. China is not going to intimidate us and there is no better place to be than here at Reagan's library [and] what it symbolizes," he said.
McCarthy said Chinese officials were correct in their reference to three official communiques, but pointed out Washington established six "assurances" with Taipei while Reagan was president.
He noted the meeting with Tsai was both unifying and bipartisan.
"We had Republicans and Democrats here speaking with one voice, and you know what? We need to speed up our weapons sales to Taiwan. Have we learned anything? What's happening around the world? Let them defend themselves, deter the ability of China to enter Taiwan," he said.
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"We need to be able to foster greater democracy and freedom. We need to be able to work together economically from the chip manufacturing and others."
McCarthy also said the meeting was the first time a House speaker met a Taiwanese president on U.S. soil.
Host Laura Ingraham characterized the Biden administration's response — via U.S. Defense official John Kirby — as "bending over backwards to reassure China."
Kirby said there is no reason for Beijing to be aggressive about the meeting, and noted no Biden officials were present.
"Look at how the president reacted to a balloon going over our military bases from China. It doesn't shock me," McCarthy said in response.
"But the difference is today we stood up to China just like Congress did when the balloon came. Every single member of Congress — Republican, Democrat — denounced the CCP for those actions.
"I think that's what China needs to hear… that Congress will act together, that we can't allow this authoritarian view, this bullying, trying to dictate to who we can talk to and who we could speak to when this is an ally."
"Again, sitting in Reagan Library, think about what Reagan was able to accomplish: peace through strength, defending freedom."
