A delegation of five US congressmen arrived in Taiwan on Sunday (14) to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen and other local officials. This is the second high-profile group to land on the island in less than 15 days, adding yet another chapter to the ongoing crisis between Washington and Beijing following a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in early August.
The de facto US embassy in Taipei said the delegation is being led by Democratic Senator Ed Markey, accompanied by four House lawmakers, and that the stopover is part of a larger trip to the Indo-Pacific region.
“The delegation will meet with senior leaders from Taiwan to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, global supply chains, climate change and other significant issues of mutual interest,” the embassy said.
In a statement, Taiwan’s presidential office said the group would meet with Tsai on Monday morning and said that, at a time when China is escalating tensions in the region with military exercises, a delegation led by Markey demonstrates the strong support of the US Congress for Taiwan.
Markey chairs the Subcommittee on East Asia Pacific Foreign Affairs and International Cybersecurity in the Senate, and is joined by lawmakers John Garamendi, Don Beyer, Alan Lowenthal and Aumua Amata.
According to the senator’s office, the delegation will reaffirm US support for the island, encouraging stability and peace across the Taiwan Strait. “[O grupo se reunirá] with elected leaders and members of the private sector to discuss shared interests, including reducing tensions across the Taiwan Strait and expanding economic cooperation, including investments in semiconductors,” he explained.
On Sunday, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published photos of the group being greeted at the airport after landing in Taipei on a US Air Force jet. Markey arrived via Taoyuan International Airport.
The trip comes at a time when tensions between Washington and Beijing have grown exponentially following Nancy Pelosi’s departure to the island that China claims as part of its territory. In response to the parliamentarian’s visit, Beijing carried out record military mobilizations around Taiwan.
Although the exercises have slowed down in recent days, they still continue to be performed. On Sunday, Taipei said 11 Chinese military aircraft had crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait or entered the island’s air defense zone. On Saturday, local officials said 13 planes had crossed the strait.
Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taipei signaled the beginning of a new chapter in the relationship between the US and China. On Friday, an aide to President Joe Biden said Washington would strengthen trade with Taiwan and make new air and sea crossings across the strait that separates the island from mainland China, in response to what he calls “actions provocative” from Beijing.
According to Kurt Campbell, the White House coordinator for Asia-Pacific affairs, US forces are expected to transit the region in the coming weeks, and an ambitious roadmap on the trade relationship will be released within a few days.
