The Latest Breaking News from Nancy Pelosi

LOS ANGELES: Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday met with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy despite threats of unspecified retaliation from China, with the leader of the self-ruled island strident in her defense of democracy.

Taiwan is keeping watch on a Chinese aircraft carrier but does not expect a large escalation in tensions, the government said on Thursday, after China denounced a meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

For President Tsai Ing-wen, the meeting capped off a high-stakes trip intended to prove to voters that strengthening U.S. ties is worth the fallout, as Taipei's relations with China deteriorate.

The last time a U.S. speaker of the house met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, the visit prompted extensive blowback in China. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA), as China’s military is formally called, responded briskly, conducting days of military exercises around the self-governed island. These were no normal military exercises either.…

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hosted Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California on Wednesday, becoming the most senior U.S. figure to meet a Taiwanese leader on U.S. soil in decades and stressed the need to accelerate arms deliveries to Taiwan in the face of rising threats from China.

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s plan to meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has provoked anger in Beijing.

The moment will be historic — a U.S. House speaker meeting with the president of Taiwan for a rare visit on American soil

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will host a meeting in California on Wednesday with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, part of a sensitive U.S. stopover that has drawn Chinese threats of retaliation.

China, Taiwan and the United States all share a common interest in ensuring this week's California stopover by Taiwan's president gets the focus each thinks it deserves, but without setting off a new crisis.