Leader of Taiwan challenges China about US visit

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has begun a ten-day trip to the US and Latin America after vowing that the self-governing island will continue to engage with countries around the world and won’t be cowed by Chinese threats of retaliation. Tsai made her comments after a spokeswoman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office warned that the visit would escalate tensions between China and its breakaway province if the Taiwanese leader met with US officials during her travels. Tsai will reportedly travel to Belize and Guatemala after making her first stop in New York. She is expected to stop in Los Angeles before returning to Taiwan. Relations between Beijing and Taipei have deteriorated since last August, when Nancy Pelosi made a visit to Taiwan in defiance of warnings from Chinese officials. China responded by launching unprecedented military drills in the Taiwan Strait and cutting off defense and climate ties with the US.