WASHINGTON/TAIPEI ⁠– Standing side by side in a show of solidarity at their historic meeting on Wednesday, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen warned that the island’s peace and democracy were under threat, while United States House Speaker Kevin McCarthy declared the bond between Washington and Taipei to be at its strongest in decades.

But neither mentioned China by name in their joint statements to the press – a subtle sign of restraint by Washington’s and Taipei’s leaders, neither of whom want to further escalate tensions with Beijing, which views Taiwan as part of China and any support of the island’s independence as a challenge to its own sovereignty.