A McCarthy Taiwan Visit Would Be Another Provocative Blunder

A follow-up visit by McCarthy would be just as foolish as Pelosi's and arguably even more provocative.

Kevin McCarthy reportedly wants to start off his speakership by copying one of Nancy Pelosi’s worst ideas:

The US Defence Department is preparing for House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy to visit Taiwan later this year, Punchbowl News reported on Monday, citing an official directly involved.

Punchbowl also said that planning for the trip is in “early stages”, and that officials in US President Joe Biden’s administration expect McCarthy to visit sometime in the spring.

Pelosi’s visit was ill-advised and unnecessary, and it directly led to more aggressive Chinese actions and increased pressure on Taiwan. In exchange for a high-profile gesture of support, Taiwan ended up worse off than it was before Pelosi was there. A follow-up visit by McCarthy would be just as foolish and arguably even more provocative because it would be coming so soon after Pelosi’s trip and so early in his tenure as Speaker. The visit will be interpreted as another deliberate jab in the eye, and it could prompt a worse backlash than last time. While this may be a partisan point-scoring game for McCarthy, it will have negative consequences for Taiwan and U.S.-Chinese relations. Reckless stunts are still reckless no matter who is doing them.