US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to reporters in Washington on Wednesday.Photo: EPA-EFE

By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter, with CNA and Reuters

US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday said that he does not think China can tell him where he can go when he was asked about a possible trip to Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun （游錫?） told reporters that Beijing has “overreacted” to standard government exchanges between Taipei and Washington regarding reports that he plans to invite McCarthy to visit Taiwan in the spring.

You was speaking at the International Religious Freedom Summit on Wednesday in Washington, where he also had a dialogue with National Endowment for Democracy president Damon Wilson.

In his address to the International Religious Freedom Summit, You sharply criticized Beijing’s suppression of religious minorities and described Taiwan as the only democracy in the Chinese-speaking world.

He also stressed the self-governed, but Chinese-claimed island’s strategic importance at the center of key global sea lanes and as an important producer of semiconductors.

"So it’s very important to safeguard Taiwan, especially its democracy," he said.

"If Taiwan falls into the sphere of influence of CCP, then the beacon of democracy will be destroyed. And China may invade the first island chain, and will cause a threat to the entire world," You said, referring to China’s ruling Communist Party and its ambitions in the Pacific region.

He was asked by reporters during the event whether he would meet with McCarthy and extend an invitation during his four-day trip to the US capital.

“Hosting lamakers from other countries is very normal in democratic countries, and lawmakers and government officials from Taiwan and the US have been in close exchange,” You said.

Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning （毛寧） on Monday told a news conference that “US lawmakers should ... refrain from doing things that affect China-US relations and undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” in an apparent reference to McCarthy’s proposed visit.

“Beijing has overreacted to a normal parliamentary exchange in democratic countries,” You told reporters.

You said that he has been urging US lawmakers and government officials to formally recognize Taiwan as a country, as this has been his longstanding position.

Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim （蕭美琴） said that it has been a standard, decades-long practice for the Legislative Yuan to interact with other national lawmakers.

Visits by international lawmakers “is the hope of the people in Taiwan to be part of the global community and the work of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US,” Hsiao said.

“On the foundation of shared values, we welcome friends from all over the world to stand with and care about Taiwan,” she added.

Asked whether You would meet with McCarthy and other US government officials during his visit, Hsiao said that his stay in Washington is brief, and visits would occur if time allows.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES