Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., told Newsmax on Thursday that "a lot of issues" were raised during the meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and a group of lawmakers.
"A lot of issues were brought up," Zinke said during an appearance on Newsmax's "National Report." "One is that many of the weapons systems that were promised [and] funded have not been delivered. So, we're looking at how to expedite those weapons systems needed to defend their island."
"Also looking at allies and where we sit, what are our strategic interests," he continued. "We have territories out there … which need to be shored up logistically to make sure we're in a position, if we need to take action, or if we need to prevent action."
"A lot of the meeting was, quite frankly, about putting ourselves in a position where we're going to prevent an invasion of Taiwan and make sure we have peace and stability in the region," the congressman added.
Noting that the group included lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, Zinke said the mixed political affiliations helped project a cohesive image.
"It was bipartisan, and I think the effort was to have a unified message," he said. "There's been some ambiguity over the past few years as to what our position is in Taiwan, so it's good to have a bipartisan group."
Beijing released an angry statement about the meeting, with a spokesperson from China's Foreign Ministry saying that "China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it."
"In response to the egregiously wrong action taken by the United States and Taiwan, China will take strong and resolute measures to defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity," the statement added.
China also cautioned the United States to "not go further down the wrong and dangerous path" and told the U.S. to "stop containing China by exploiting the Taiwan issue."
China sent several ships out near Taiwan's coast Wednesday morning, before Tsai and McCarthy met, including a large-scale patrol and rescue vessel for a three-day joint patrol and inspection operation, according to a statement from the Chinese Fujian Maritime Safety Administration.
After the meeting, McCarthy said at a news conference that the United States does not seek to escalate tensions with Beijing, but will not be told what to do by Beijing.
"I am the speaker of the House," McCarthy said. "There's no place that China is going to tell me where I can go or who I can speak to."
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