Taiwan’s leader in US, stresses security for her island

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen arrives at a hotel, Thursday in New York. Pic/AP

In a highly sensitive U.S. visit, Taiwan's president delivered the message Thursday that keeping her self-ruled island strong will help ensure the world's safety - even as her travel is carefully calibrated to try to contain what furious Chinese officials warn could be a strong response.

Taiwan is billing President Tsai Ing-wen's visit to New York as simply a "transit," but she kept a full agenda of events Wednesday and Thursday before flying to Central America.

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Most provocatively in the eyes of Beijing, her trip is expected to include a meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy next week. The visit is fraught for both Taiwan and the U.S. because China views Taiwan as its territory and treats any dealings between U.S. and Taiwanese officials as a challenge to its sovereignty.

Tsai emphasized Taiwan's perseverance in the face of daunting challenges in a closed-door speech Thursday night hosted by the Hudson Institute think tank, which awarded her its leadership award. "She made a strong point that the defense of Taiwan is actually the defense of America," said Miles Yu, a Hudson Institute director who attended the speech.

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