US Congress delegation meets top Chinese Taipei officials in surprise visit

Amid dramatically escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing, a delegation of five US legislators met with the top Chinese Taipei leadership on Friday, despite a “blunt message” from China to call off the trip.

The bipartisan group of legislators from the US House of Representatives, who arrived in the self-governing island on Thursday, held talks with President Tsai Ing-wen and other senior officials.

Representatives Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Colin Allred (D-Texas), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), and Nancy Mace (R-S-C) are part of the visiting American delegation.

Slotkin, who represents Michigan's 8th congressional district, said her office received a “blunt message” from the Chinese Embassy, telling her to “call off the trip”. But she decided to go ahead with it.

Mace also said that the China’s embassy had demanded that they cancel the trip. "We’ve had a productive and meaningful visit throughout the Indo-Pacific region as the first bipartisan US House delegation since the start of COVID," she wrote on Twitter.

When News broke of our visit to Taiwan, China’s embassy demanded we cancel the trip (we didn’t).

We’ve had a productive and meaningful visit throughout the Indo-Pacific region as the first bipartisan US House delegation since the start of COVID.

This is just the start.

— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) November 26, 2021

Takano, who is leading the delegation, was quoted as saying that they were in Taiwan to “remind our partners and allies, after two trying years that we’ve endured, that our commitment and shared responsibility for a free and secure Indo-Pacific region remain stronger than ever”.

He hastened to add that the US relationship with Taiwan is “rock solid and has remained steadfast as the ties between us have deepened”.

According to reports, during the meeting, Tsai stressed on cooperation between the two sides in veterans’ affairs, economic issues and trade while reiterating the island’s close alignment with the US.

“Taiwan will continue to step up cooperation with the United States in order to uphold our shared values of freedom and democracy and to ensure peace and stability in the region,” he said.  

US lawmakers visiting Chinese Taipei for meetings amid tensions with China

Five members of the US House of Representatives are planning to visit Chinese Taipei on Friday to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen and defense ministry officials.

Xavier Chang, a spokesman for Chinese Taiwan President's Tsai Ing-wen, said the visit demonstrated the "firm Taiwan-US friendship" and "solid bipartisan support for deepening ties" in Congress.

It is the third delegation-level visit by US legislators to Chinese Taipei this year and comes a few weeks after another group of six US Congress members, all Republicans, visited the island.

That delegation also met Tsai, besides National Security Secretary-General Wellington Koo and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, among others.

A warm #Taiwan🇹🇼 welcome to @RepMarkTakano, @RepSlotkin, @RepColinAllred, @SaraJacobsCA, @RepNancyMace & congressional staffers. We wish the bipartisan #US🇺🇸 House of Representatives delegation a productive & rewarding visit focusing on bilateral relations & regional security. pic.twitter.com/4qCz4cCDZE

— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) November 25, 2021

US President Joe Biden has invited Chinese Taipei to a “Summit for Democracy” next month, a move denounced by China, which claims sovereignty over the island.

Biden had earlier this month stressed that he was not encouraging Taiwan's "independence" after using the word to explain discussions he had with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during a virtual summit.

"I said that they have to decide -- Taiwan, not us. We are not encouraging independence," Biden said on an airport tarmac in New Hampshire, days after the summit. "We're encouraging that they do exactly what the Taiwan Act requires," he went on, referring to the 1979 law dictating the American approach to the island. "That's what we're doing. Let them make up their mind. Period."

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Wednesday reacted strongly to the visits of US legislators to the island, marking fresh escalation between the world’s two biggest economies.

“What the US did proves that the so-called democracy is just a pretext and tool for it to pursue geopolitical goals, suppress other countries, divide the world, serve its own interest and maintain its hegemony in the world,” Lijian said.

US should not have any illusions about Taipei: China

China once again warns the United States over issues related to Chinese Taipei, stressing that there is no room for compromise over the self-governed island and that Washington should not have any illusions about it.

China has sovereignty over Chinese Taipei, and under the “One China” policy, almost all world countries recognize that sovereignty. The US, too, recognizes Chinese sovereignty over the island but has long courted Taipei in an attempt to unnerve Beijing.

Tensions between Chinese Taipei, China, and the US have seen a dramatic escalation recently.

China has been reportedly flying fighter jets close to Chinese Taipei while the US has deployed troops in the territory for military exercises deemed provocative by Beijing.

Last month, Biden said the United States would come to Taipei’s aid if it were to come under attack from China, claiming it had a commitment to defend the self-ruled island.

China blasted the statement, accusing Washington of meddling in China’s internal affairs.

United States, which backs secessionism in the self-ruled island, has been selling weapons to the rulers there in violation of its own official policy.

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