Tsai, McCarthy to Meet in US in April: FT 外媒:小英4月過境美國 將會眾院議長

The Financial Times reported on March 6 that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Tsai Ing-wen have agreed to meet in California at the start of April rather than Taipei to avoid provoking China. According to the report, Tsai will be visiting the U.S. as part of a trip to Central America and will also speak at the Reagan Library. Neither Taiwan nor the U.S. has confirmed anything.

Rumors have been swirling that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will be visiting Taiwan. On March 6, the Financial Times reported that McCarthy will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen in California rather than Taipei because of Taiwanese security concerns and to avoid a repeat of what happened when McCarthy's predecessor Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. This visit will take place in April when Tsai transits in the U.S. during a trip to allies Guatemala and Belize.

Ned Price, Spokesperson, US Department of State: “So first, I'm not aware of any confirmed travel on the part of President Tsai to the United States. The Speaker of the House, in a case like this, is going to decide for himself or herself the meeting.”

Joseph Wu, Foreign Affairs Minister: “Foreign affairs conducted by our head of state is a very important link in our foreign affairs, so this is a big and heavy responsibility for our Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, we won't offer a public explanation before details are finalized and this kind of plan is decided.”

Neither side confirmed the report. The U.S. Department of State merely said the speaker of the House is free to meet with anyone, while McCarthy's office declined to comment. The report also said Tsai will be stopping in New York and California, including giving a speech at the Reagan Library.

Tsai Ing-wen, President (Aug. 14, 2018): “President Reagan previously said something that is worth our deep consideration. He said anything can be discussed besides our freedom and our future, which can't be compromised.”

Tsai visited the Reagan Library while transiting the U.S. in 2018 and gave a short speech. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute confirmed it invited Tsai to give a speech. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidential Office said they will not announce anything until plans are finalized.

美國眾議院議長麥卡錫是否訪台，各界關注。英國《金融時報》6日報導，考量到台灣安全，避免再度上演裴洛西訪台後的共軍包圍演習，麥卡錫將與總統蔡英文達成共識，從「台北見」改成「加州會」。時間將選在4月總統出訪中美洲友邦瓜地馬拉及貝里斯，過境美國時會晤。

美國國務院發言人普萊斯表示：「第一，我沒有蔡總統訪美的確定消息，議長可以自行決定要與誰會面。」

外交部部長吳釗燮回應：「我們的元首外交，是我們外交非常重要的一環，因此這個是我們外交部的重責大任。但是在還沒有任何具體的這種規劃出來之前，我們不會對外面說明。」

台美雙方都低調沒有證實，國務院則重申議長能自行決定與誰會面，麥卡錫辦公室則拒絕評論。報導也指出，蔡英文將訪問紐約及加州，尤其加州是麥卡錫的選區，蔡總統也預計會在雷根圖書館發表演說。

蔡英文2018年過境美國時，就曾造訪雷根圖書館，不過當時僅有簡短致詞，「雷根總統曾經說了一句話，也值得我們來省思。他說任何事情都是可以談的，除了我們的自由跟我們的未來，是不可以被妥協的。」

雷根總統基金會也證實，有邀請蔡英文發表演說。不過對於出訪的規劃，外交部與總統府僅表示，有確切的內容才會對外說明。