WASHINGTON — The president of Taiwan is starting a quick trip through the United States and Central America to demonstrate that her self-governing island has allies as it contends with an increasing threat from China.

In an effort to contain what China warned would be a strong but as of yet unspecified response, Taiwan was carefully balancing President Tsai Ing-wen's visit to the United States and, as always, forgoing any official meetings with senior U.S. leaders in Washington.

Few details of Tsai's trip were made public, but she was due to spend Thursday in New York after arriving on Wednesday.

A high-ranking Chinese diplomat in Washington, embassy charge d'affaires Xu Xueyan, noted that Tsai and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy were likely to meet elsewhere in the nation. She said in a virtual meeting with reporters on Wednesday that the meeting would have serious consequences overall and a "serious, serious, serious" impact on U.S.-China relations.

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a Democrat from New Jersey, Sen. Robert Menendez, expressed his hope that any American officials meeting the president informally will convey that American support for Taiwan is "strong and unequivocal."

Taiwan is a significant partner for Washington in the Indo-Pacific region and a significant beneficiary of American military assistance. In order to deter or defend against any future military action by China, which claims the island as its own, the U.S., Taiwan, and their allies in the region are increasing their military readiness.

Beijing launched missiles, sent warships across the Taiwan Strait, and pretended to blockade the island in response to Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August last year. Additionally, China limited military-to-military communication with the Pentagon and temporarily halted discussions with the United States on the climate and other important issues.

Tsai has visited the United States six times while serving as president, meeting with Congresspeople and Taiwanese immigrants. The upcoming trip, which Taiwan refers to as a "transit," is in line with what she and her predecessors have done in the past, administration officials are emphasizing.

According to White House national security spokesman John Kirby, Tsai's "transit is consistent with our long-standing unofficial relationship with Taiwan and is consistent with the United States' one-China policy, which remains unchanged."

Kirby warned that the People's Republic of China should not use this transit as an excuse to intensify its aggressive behavior in the Taiwan Strait. "When it comes to Taiwan, there are differences between the United States and China." But for more than 40 years, we have dealt with those differences.

Before boarding her flight to the United States, Tsai promised reporters that Taiwan would "resolutely safeguard the values of freedom and democracy."

"External pressure will not stop us from interacting with the rest of the world," she declared.

Tsai is scheduled to meet with Laura Rosenberger, the director of the American Institute in Taiwan. The nonprofit organization AIT, which is governed by the US government, manages unofficial ties with Taiwan.

Her visits to Central America are anticipated to strengthen Taiwan's relationships there after Honduras switched its diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China this month. Tsai charged China with luring Honduras away with "dollar diplomacy." Currently, only 13 nations formally recognize Taiwan.

The visit is an opportunity for Tsai "to convey to the Congress how important the partnership between the U.S. and Taiwan is and what is necessary to preserve peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," according to Republican Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, chairman of the House Select Committee on China.

The Chinese diplomat in Washington, Xu, claimed that Taiwan and the United States had ulterior motives for her visit.

She said: "It should be obvious to everyone that the so-called transit is merely a disguise for her true intention of seeking a breakthrough and promoting Taiwan's independence.

As China under President Xi Jinping looks to increase its regional and international influence, tensions between Washington and Beijing have increased. This winter's passage of what the US claimed to be a Chinese spy balloon across the country heightened Americans' perception of China as a threat. A research balloon was blown off course, according to China.