(UnitedVoice.com) – Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her successor, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), might be from the same state, but they could not be more different. The two clash constantly in the House of Representatives, and their parties dislike one another just as much. However, that didn’t stop the congresswoman from dishing out some surprising praise.
On Wednesday, April 5, Pelosi released a statement praising McCarthy for his summit with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California. The Republican lawmaker led a group of bipartisan lawmakers to meet with Taiwanese officials, despite the animosity from China over US involvement with leaders from the island. Pelosi said McCarthy’s meeting should “be commended for its leadership, its bipartisan participation, and its distinguished and historic venue.”
Pelosi’s praise comes several months after she became the first House speaker in decades to visit Taiwan. She led a delegation to the island last year and received bipartisan praise for her actions. Her trip came while China was threatening severe punishment if US officials made a trip that would recognize the sovereignty of the country. This time around, the communist nation’s response to Taiwan’s president visiting America was reportedly more muted.
Taiwan's President in LA to meet with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Angry language from Beijing but so far more muted reax than Pelosi's visit to Taiwan
Regular military drills around Taiwan & 3-day patrol through Taiwan Strait.
Pro & anti Taiwan protesters in LA greet her pic.twitter.com/Kq622poduZ— Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) April 5, 2023
President Tsai Ing-wen said she was happy to see both political parties in the US supporting her country. “When we stand together, we are all stronger,” she wrote on Twitter.
After meeting with members of the US Congress from both sides of the aisle, I was heartened by their strong bipartisan support for #Taiwan. Thank you to @SpeakerMcCarthy & all our American friends. When we stand together, we are all stronger. pic.twitter.com/HVw2WqxBXz
— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) April 6, 2023
McCarthy made history during his meeting, becoming the most senior American official to meet with Taiwan’s president on US soil. During the meeting, Fox News reported he said we are all living in a “decisive moment in history” that requires us to “act with urgency.” He pointed out that global tensions are the highest they’ve been since the Cold War ended, and authoritarians are trying to create conflicts. That’s why it’s so important for the US and Taiwan to remain united.
Copyright 2023, UnitedVoice.com
