US congressional delegation arrives in Taiwan

A US congressional delegation arrived in Taiwan on Sunday, Washington’s de facto embassy in Taipei said, days after China held military drills around the island in retaliation for US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit.

Sunday’s unnannounced visit came after Pelosi infuriated Beijing by visiting Taiwan earlier this month, sparking unprecedented air and sea drills that raised the prospect of conflict.

“Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), Representative John Garamendi (D-CA), Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Representative Don Beyer (D-VA), and Representative Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-AS) will visit Taiwan from August 14-15, 2022, as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region,” the American Institute in Taiwan said in a statement.

“The delegation will meet with senior Taiwan leaders to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, global supply chains, climate change, and other significant issues of mutual interest,” it added.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry hailed the delegation’s visit as another sign of warm ties between Taipei and Washington.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its sincere welcome (to the delegation),” the ministry said in a statement Sunday.

“As China is continuing to escalate tensions in the region, the US Congress has again organized a heavyweight delegation to visit Taiwan, showing a friendship that is not afraid of China’s threats and intimidation, and highlighting the US’ strong support towards Taiwan.”

The delegation will meet President Tsai Ing-wen and attend a banquet hosted by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu during the visit, the ministry added.

“The two sides will extensively exchange views on issues such as Taiwan-US security and trade relations,” it said.