Taiwan remained defiant ahead of the island president's expected meeting with the U.S. House speaker on Wednesday, after China threatened retaliation multiple times in the past week.
in Los Angeles while she transits on her way back home.
Last week, and again on Monday, China threatened with countermeasures if Tsai met with McCarthy. The Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles issued a statement Monday saying it opposed any “any form of contact” between Taiwan authorities and the U.S. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it has never been part of China, and that China's recent criticism has become increasingly “absurd.”
China has repeatedly asserted its claim to Taiwan, though Taiwan maintains its own democratic system of government since the sides split after a civil war in 1949.