Report: McCarthy’s Taiwan Meeting Holds Bipartisan Promise

Praise from House Democrats who attended the House Speaker Kevin McCarthy-led meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, raises the hope for bipartisan work in the next few months.

Democrats joined McCarthy and Republican lawmakers in meeting with Tsai on Wednesday at the Ronald Regan Presidential Library in California.

Axios reported that China policy has been one of the few areas in which lawmakers have been able to come together.

“It was very responsible leadership,” said Rep. Haley Stevens. D-Mich., who joined the congressional delegation hosted by McCarthy. Stevens is a member of the China select committee

And Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., said: “There are plenty of ways in which Speaker McCarthy has been an incredibly partisan member of Congress but the CODEL [congressional delegation] represents “a genuine effort at bringing Democrats and Republicans together, especially on foreign policy.”

Both lawmakers praised the camaraderie at the meeting.

“Everything has been really collegial,” said Stevens, “I think it’s encouraging to the bipartisan work of the [China select] committee … and things like industrial policy.”

“It really was bipartisan, not just at the press conference but behind the scenes as well,” said Moulton.

Even Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., praised her successor.

“Today’s meeting between President Tsai of Taiwan and Speaker McCarthy is to be commended for its leadership, its bipartisan participation, and its distinguished and historic venue,” she said.

Risking China’s anger, McCarthy hosted Tsai as a “great friend of America” in a show of U.S. support at a rare high-level bipartisan meeting on U.S. soil, The Associated Press reported.