Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen urged continued assist for her nation and warned its democracy was “beneath menace” following a high-profile assembly with US Home Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.

Talking on the Ronald Reagan library in Simi Valley after discussions with McCarthy, essentially the most outstanding official to satisfy a Taiwanese president within the US, Tsai invoked the late president’s position in fortifying US-Taiwan relations.

The Taiwanese chief mentioned she had harassed to McCarthy, accompanied by a bipartisan group of 17 lawmakers, the significance of the view championed by Reagan that “to protect peace, we should be robust”.

“We as soon as once more discover ourselves in a world the place democracy is beneath menace, and the urgency of conserving the beacon of freedom shining can’t be understated,” Tsai mentioned.

Chatting with reporters individually after the discussions with Tsai, McCarthy mentioned it was clear that Washington needed to proceed the sale of weapons to Taiwan and make it possible for arms had been offered “on a really well timed foundation”. He additionally referred to as for stepped-up financial co-operation with Taiwan.

Requested if he thought the American public would assist US navy motion to defend the island from any assault from China, McCarthy mentioned it was a “hypothetical” that the US ought to attempt to forestall, and that assembly Taiwan’s chief was a part of an effort to point out assist for the nation.

“Our purpose is that hypothetical by no means involves fruition. One of the simplest ways to try this is provide the weapons that permit individuals to discourage battle. It’s a crucial lesson that we realized by Ukraine.”

McCarthy highlighted the bipartisan nature of his group, saying it might ship an necessary message to China. However he mentioned lawmakers weren’t attempting to alter the formulation beneath which the US has maintained official relations with Beijing, and non-official ties with Taipei.

The assembly in California marked a compromise between McCarthy’s and Tsai’s wishes for a extra high-profile US-Taiwan engagement and efforts to keep away from the form of violent response from Beijing that occurred after Nancy Pelosi, then the Democratic Home Speaker, visited Taipei in August.

Hours earlier than the assembly on Wednesday, China’s Folks’s Liberation Military despatched the Shandong, its latest plane service, by the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan and the Philippines, on its first navigation coaching within the western Pacific, in accordance with Taiwan’s defence ministry.

China’s authorities later condemned the assembly however didn’t subject extra threats. “That is primarily the US performing with Taiwan to connive at ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists’ political actions in the US, conduct official contact with Taiwan and improve the substantive relations with Taiwan, and body it as a ‘transit’,” the Chinese language international ministry mentioned in an announcement.

It repeated its warning that China would take “resolute steps to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity”, and urged the US to “cease containing China by exploiting the Taiwan query”.

The Biden administration had warned China to not use the assembly as a pretext for better aggression towards Taiwan, which Beijing claims as a part of its territory and has threatened to annex if Taipei refuses to submit beneath its management indefinitely.

McCarthy mentioned the assembly, as Tsai transited the US on her manner dwelling from Central America, didn’t preclude a future go to to Taiwan, and mentioned he wouldn’t permit China to dictate his journey.

Mike Gallagher, the Republican head of the brand new Home China committee who was a part of the delegation, rejected the concept the assembly would provoke China, suggesting that capitulating to Beijing would recall Reagan’s warning about “feeding the crocodile hoping that he’ll eat you final”.

Raja Krishnamoorthi, the highest Democrat on the committee, mentioned the US bond with Taiwan was “unshakeable” whereas stressing the US didn’t need battle.

In an interview, Krishnamoorthi mentioned the US needed to do extra to assist Taipei, together with accelerating the availability of arms to improve its capacity to defend itself. “Given what we’re listening to out of Beijing, we have to go sooner,” he mentioned.

He mentioned the US was not altering the insurance policies that information its relations with Beijing and Taipei, however mentioned a change in Chinese language behaviour required Washington to reply.

“What is exclusive about this example now versus, say, 10 years in the past is that sadly Beijing and the CCP [Chinese Communist party] seem to need to change the established order . . . probably on coercive means,” he added.

US efforts to strengthen Taiwan’s defences, and high-profile initiatives amongst American politicians in assist of Taiwan, have grow to be widespread amid rising hawkishness on China. Over the previous yr, Beijing has hit again towards what it calls interference by international powers.

Final summer season, after Pelosi’s go to, the PLA fired a volley of missiles over Taiwan, a few of which landed in Japan’s unique financial zone. China’s navy additionally simulated a naval blockade of Taiwan and operations that might be a part of an invasion.

Beijing’s response has been extra measured throughout Tsai’s 10-day abroad journey. When she stopped in New York on her method to Guatemala and Belize, two of Taiwan’s allies in Central America, the PLA flew a number of plane throughout the Taiwan Strait median line, a transfer it usually makes use of to specific displeasure at Taiwanese or US actions.

On Tuesday, as Tsai was about to land in Los Angeles, a Chinese language provincial maritime security administration in Fujian mentioned one in every of its latest and largest coast guard vessels had began an “inspection patrol” within the Taiwan Strait. However each strikes had been far under the dimensions of final yr’s manoeuvres.

Observe Kathrin Hille and Demetri Sevastopulo on Twitter