China Vows To Retaliate Against Taiwan President's US Visit, Kirby Says Don't 'Overreact'

China threatens retaliation over the possible meeting between U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said Tsai's meeting with McCarthy would constitute a violation of the one-China principle.

"If she makes contact with U.S. House Speaker McCarthy, it will be another provocation that seriously violates the one-China principle, undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," Zhu said, NBC News reported.

Zhu said China would "take measures to resolutely fight back" without providing what steps the Asian country might take against the self-ruled island.

China's chargé d'affaires in Washington, Xu Xueyuan, has also warned of repercussions of Tsai's transit in the U.S., saying that it could "lead to another serious confrontation in the China-U.S. relationship," according to the Washington Post.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby downplayed China's threats, arguing that Tsai's U.S. stopover is "consistent" with the one-China policy.

"There is no reason for [China] to react harshly or overreact in any way," Kirby said.

Kirby noted that Tsai has already made 6 U.S. stopovers in recent years, as well as previous Taiwanese presidents.

While the Biden administration treats Tsai's stopover as a private affair, Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairperson, urged them to support the Taiwanese leader.

McCaul explained that it would show that the U.S. is standing with Taiwan amid the "growing threats from [Chinese President] Xi Jinping," Politico reported.

Tsai has arrived in New York as part of her U.S. stopover before she proceeds to Guatemala and Belize, two of the remaining countries with diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

During her one-day stay in New York, Tsai is expected to receive a leadership award from the conservative think tank Hudson Institute.

Tsai would make another stopover in the U.S., specifically in Los Angeles, after she visits 2 Central American countries.

In Los Angeles, Tsai is likely to meet McCarthy, a California Republican congressman, and other members of Congress. However, it has not been officially confirmed.

McCarthy originally planned to visit Taiwan and meet Tsai there. However, the House Speaker reportedly dropped his plan after the Taiwanese leader urged him not to do it to avoid provoking China.

McCarthy is seen to follow the footsteps of his predecessor, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, when she visited Taiwan in August last year.

Pelosi's unprecedented visit to Taiwan was met with China's strong condemnation and large military drills around the island.