Taiwan President Spoke with US House Speaker Johnson, Sources Say

Reuters

16:28 JST, December 5, 2024

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan President Lai Ching-te spoke by telephone with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson during Lai’s visit to the Pacific, two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters on Thursday, a conversation likely to further infuriate Beijing over the trip.

Taiwan’s presidential office did not immediately answer calls seeking comment. Johnson’s office did not respond to an email requesting comment. There was also no immediate response from China’s foreign ministry.

One of the sources said the call on Wednesday afternoon U.S. time should not be a reason for China to increase its military intimidation of Taiwan.

Sources familiar with the situation have told Reuters that China could launch a new round of war games in response to Lai’s trip to the Pacific, which included stopovers in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam.

While in Hawaii, Lai also had a 20-minute call with former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, during which they discussed China’s military threats.

In 2022, China held war games around the island furious at then-Speaker Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan.

China considers democratically governed Taiwan its own territory and has condemned the United States for allowing Lai to transit its territory.

Lai rejects China’s sovereignty claims. (Reporting by Yimou Lee and Michael Martina; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Tom Hogue)