Britain's Financial Times newspaper is reporting that Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is planning to meet with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the United States in April.
The article published Monday says, "Several people familiar with the situation said that Tsai and McCarthy had agreed to meet in the US because of Taiwanese security concerns."
It says Tsai is expected to stop over in California and New York during a trip to Belize and Guatemala in early April.
The article says McCarthy had wanted to visit Taiwan, but Tsai persuaded the speaker "to meet in California rather than Taipei to avoid an aggressive Chinese military response."
When McCarthy's predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan in August, China responded with major drills near Taiwan and further stepped up military pressure.
The paper quoted several people as saying that Tsai has accepted an invitation to speak at the Reagan Library in California.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States has said it "has no information to share." It added, "In general terms, arrangements for President Tsai's visits to Taiwan's diplomatic allies and transits through the United States are carried out in line with the usual practice."