Speaker Kevin McCarthy is set to make history today as he meets with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California. The eyes of the leadership in China will be upon them, which is the point. It is a jab at China without being too sharp of a jab.

McCarthy will become the highest-level U.S. official to meet with a Taiwanese leader on American soil since 1979. That was when the U.S. formally established diplomatic relations with Beijing. The visit by Tsai to the United States isn’t being called an official visit, though, because that would be seen as too antagonistic toward China. Tsai is meeting with bipartisan groups of lawmakers. A meeting took place in New York with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and a bipartisan group of senators.

McCarthy will meet Tsai in his home state at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley. He’ll be joined by Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar, also of California, and top leaders of the House select committee on the Chinese government, Chair Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.).

Tsai already made a stop in New York, where she met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and a bipartisan group of senators, including Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).

The Wall Street Journal reported that Tsai quietly met with the senators last week. They expressed support for Taiwan’s democracy and discussed legislation that imposes stiff economic and financial sanctions against China if China invades Taiwan.

The meeting with McCarthy and others today in California has led to Beijing issuing warnings that it will retaliate. It is important that the meeting take place despite the threats. The United States cannot bow to China as it tries to dictate who American officials can and cannot meet with on American soil. Senator Sullivan (R-AK) said a show of unity and strength by American officials is important.

“There’s this pressure, let’s face it, that’s being put on—a full-court press” by the Chinese Communist Party, Mr. Sullivan said in an interview. “When you have a leader of this important democracy come to your own country, it’s more important than ever to make sure that dictators in Beijing don’t dictate who we can or cannot meet with, especially on American soil.”

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Monday there is no reason for China to overreact to the meeting. “I’m not going to get ahead of where we are right now and speculate about what the Chinese might or might not do. We strongly urge them to not overreact to this, again, because there’s just simply no reason to.” Will Chinese officials heed Kirby “strongly urging” China to behave itself? History shows that China launches military drills following visits by American politicians to show its displeasure. After Pelosi visited Taiwan, China launched 11 ballistic missiles into waters around Taiwan’s coasts.

McCarthy is gaining some foreign policy cred with this meeting. He has been focused on domestic politics since he became the Speaker and this meeting provides an opportunity for him to gain experience in foreign policy. Newt Gingrich, an adviser to McCarthy, said the meeting is a good move for McCarthy.

“It’s a very good debut,” said Newt Gingrich, the Republican former speaker who led a delegation to Taiwan decades ago and advises McCarthy.

“I think it’s a useful thing to communicate to a country — that’s under enormous pressure — that they have real allies,” Gingrich said. The Taiwanese, he said, will “see it as a morale boost.”

It’s important to show support for Taiwan, especially given the concern that China may be feeling emboldened to take over the country. If Putin is seen as victorious in Ukraine, China may make a move on Taiwan. The relationship between Xi and Putin has been strengthening and that is not good news for the Western world. U.S. policy is to acknowledge the One-China policy in which Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory. However, the United States does not endorse China’s claim to the island and continues to be Taiwan’s key provider of military and defense assistance.

We’ll see what happens after the meeting today. It’s a good start for McCarthy, though, and it is good for morale in Taiwan. The Taiwanese people need to know that the United States stands with them.