Taiwan defies China pressure before US House speaker meeting

Taiwan pushed back against threats of retaliation by China, ahead of an expected meeting between the island’s president and the U.S. House speaker Wednesday that will underscore her government’s claim to sovereignty.
President Tsai Ing-wen is finishing a tour of Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic allies in Latin America, Belize and Guatemala. The most politically sensitive part of her trip will be a meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles while she transits on her way back home.
China views Taiwan as its own territory and treats any dealings between U.S. and Taiwanese officials as a challenge to its sovereignty. Tsai’s tour is a bid to demonstrate that her government has international support.