BEIJING/WASHINGTON China threatened to retaliate on Wednesday if US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen during her planned transit of the United States in May, saying any such move would be a provocation.

China, which claims democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly warned US officials not to meet Ms Tsai, viewing it as support for the islands desire to be seen as a separate country.

China staged war games around Taiwan in August 2022 when then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, and Taiwans armed forces have said they are keeping watch for any Chinese moves when Ms Tsai is abroad.

Ms Tsai is going to Guatemala and Belize, transiting through New York and Los Angeles on the way back. While not officially confirmed, she is expected to meet Mr McCarthy while in California.

Speaking in Beijing shortly before Ms Tsai left, Ms Zhu Fenglian, a spokesman of Chinas Taiwan Affairs Office, said that Ms Tsais transits of the US were not just her waiting at the airport or hotel, but for her to meet US officials and lawmakers.

If she contacts US House Speaker McCarthy, it will be another provocation that seriously violates the one China principle, harms Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity, and destroys peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, she said.

We firmly oppose this and will definitely take measures to resolutely fight back, Ms Zhu added, without giving details.

Ms Tsais transits will come at a time when US relations with China are at what some analysts see as their worst level since Washington normalised ties with Beijing in 1979 and switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei.

Taiwan is Chinas most sensitive territorial issue and a major bone of contention with Washington, which, like most countries, maintains only unofficial ties with Taipei.

However, the US government is required by US law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. No reason to overreact

The US says such transits by Taiwanese presidents are routine and that China should not use Ms Tsais trip to take any aggressive moves against Taiwan.

The US sees no reason for China to overreact to planned transits of the US this week and next month by Taiwans president, senior US officials said ahead of Ms Tsais departure.

A senior US official said that in her previous transits, Ms Tsai had engaged in a range of activities, including meetings with members of Congress, the Taiwanese diaspora and other groups.

So, there is absolutely no reason for Beijing to use this upcoming transit as an excuse or a pretext to carry out aggressive or coercive activities aimed at Taiwan, the official said. More On This Topic No imminent threat of China invading Taiwan, says senior US official Russia dancing to Chinas tune on Taiwan, says Taipei At Taiwans main international airport at Taoyuan before she left, Ms Tsai said that external pressure will not hinder our determination to go to the world, in a veiled reference to China.

We are calm and confident, will neither yield nor provoke. Taiwan will firmly walk on the road of freedom and democracy and go into the world. Although this road is rough, Taiwan is not alone.

Taiwanese presidents routinely pass through the US while visiting diplomatic allies in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific, which, although not official visits, are often used by both sides for high-level meetings.

Taiwans government rejects Chinas sovereignty claims and while Ms Tsai has repeatedly offered talks with Beijing, she has also said that only Taiwans people can decide their future.

Ms Tsais trip has unnerved security agencies in Taiwan, who worry that China could launch a series of influence campaigns including spreading misinformation on social media platforms to sway public perceptions of Ms Tsais US transit, according to an internal memo by a Taiwan security agency, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters.

The note said that China had used large-scale influence campaigns, including cyber attacks, against Taiwan during Ms Pelosis visit in 2022, and the Taiwan authorities expected Beijing to deepen its cognitive operations in the coming days.

Chinas Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

China claimed another diplomatic victory over Taiwan on Sunday when one-time loyal Taiwan ally Honduras switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing. Only 13 countries now maintain formal ties with Taiwan.

China says that both it and Taiwan belong to one China and that as a Chinese province, the island has no right to any sort of state-to-state ties. Taiwan strongly disputes that view.

Meanwhile, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with Chinas top diplomat Wang Yi last Friday, people familiar with the matter said, as the two sides look to ease tensions that have continued to build in recent months.

In a sign of the fraught state of US-China ties, neither side opted to publicise the call between Mr Sullivan and Mr Wang. Spokesmen for the White House and the Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The people who confirmed the call asked not to be identified discussing private conversations.

The official contact comes as the Biden administration is looking to arrange a phone call between President Joe Biden and Chinas President Xi Jinping.

REUTERS, BLOOMBERG More On This Topic Former Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou arrives in China pledging peace Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen reviews troops ahead of sensitive US visit