Republican senator asks Pelosi to invite Taiwanese president to address US congress

A group of Republican U.S. senators asked House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday to invite Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, an invitation that would anger China if it were extended. The senators, including Cory Gardner, Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, sent their letter to Pelosi ahead of a March 1 deadline for Washington and Beijing to reach a trade deal.

The two countries have taken a 90-day hiatus in their trade war to hammer out a deal, and another round of talks is scheduled next week in China. A spokesman for Pelosi, a Democrat, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.