The Speaker of the US House of Representatives is speaking with the leader of Taiwan, according to a report

(Bloomberg) — Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson held a phone conversation with Taiwan President Lai Chin-te, VOA reports, in a move likely to give China more reason to increase its military intimidation of the democracy.

According to “Voice of America” ​​with reference to unknown persons, Johnson and Lai spoke on Wednesday. He added that it was the first direct conversation between the two since Lai took office in May.

The president’s office in Taipei did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

The call came while Lai was on a Pacific tour that included stops in Guam and Hawaii. China has condemned the US for allowing transit through Hawaii, raising the possibility that the People’s Liberation Army will soon conduct new military exercises around Taiwan.

China wants to one day bring Taiwan under its control, by force if necessary, and opposes countries with which it has ties, such as the United States, having contact with officials from the advanced semiconductor manufacturing hub.

The PLA has conducted large-scale military exercises around Taiwan twice since he took office in May. It said the October war games were a warning against “separatist actions” after Lai gave a speech in which he said Taipei would stand up to Beijing’s challenges.

The PLA also conducted exercises around Taiwan twice because former President Tsai Ing-wen met with two of Johnson’s predecessors, Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy, as speakers.

Lai is currently in Guam, where the US has a large air base and deployed a nuclear attack submarine last month.

Lai visited the Guam legislature and met with the territory’s governor, Lou Leon Guerrero. Previous presidents of Taiwan have stopped in Guam as part of foreign trips.

The trip was Lai’s first as president, and the stopover in Guanajuato helps build on ties that have been developing between the two sides in recent years.

Guam’s legislature has passed several resolutions supporting Taipei’s participation in international organizations, China is working to limit its activities, and Taiwan reopened a representative office there in 2021.

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