Despite warnings from the Chinese government, a bipartisan delegation of US lawmakers traveled to Taiwan for an official visit on Thursday.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen greeted lawmakers from both the House and Senate when they arrived in the nation on Wednesday morning. Soon after, the Chinese government issued a statement denouncing the visit.
US Lawmakers Defy China Threats With Taiwan Visit
Republican Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Richard Burr of North Carolina, and Rob Portman of Ohio, Republican Texas Representative Ronny Jackson, and Democratic New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez were among those who paid a visit.
Per Fox News, the lawmakers are among the highest-ranking Americans to visit Taiwan. According to mainland China, Taiwan is a renegade province of China, not an independent country. For decades, the United States has only grudgingly accepted that designation, while delivering military supplies and dispatching US officials to Taiwan on occasion.
Fears of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan have grown in recent years as a result of China's rising assertiveness in the region, which includes regular air force missions near Taiwan's airspace. The issue has been brought to light as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to some, Russia's incursion may inspire China to act alone.
Xavier Chang, a spokesperson for the Presidential Office, hailed the visit as proof of the US-Taiwan relationship being "rock strong." In an interview, Graham described China as a "bad neighbor" to Australia, arguing for additional soldiers to be stationed there, Daily Mail reported.
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US Officials' Trip to Taiwan Is a "Red Line," Says Foreign Minister
Menendez disclosed that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will soon visit the Soloman Islands to pursue a security pact with China. Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was considering a trip to Taiwan, which Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described as a "red line" for US-China ties. Taiwan perceives itself as an independent nation, whereas China sees Taiwan as an extension of its land. For decades, the United States has sought strategic ambiguity, refusing to publicly recognize Taiwan's autonomy while urging China not to invade the island state.
Even as it provides armaments and rare visits from US officials to demonstrate support for Taiwan, the US remains purposefully unclear about whether it would come to Taiwan's help if China attempted to take over.
In recent months, Chinese aggressiveness has increased in Taiwan, with the People's Liberation Army dispatching fighter planes to the island on a near-daily basis. Taiwan's military recently released an official manual instructing residents on how to prepare for a possible Chinese invasion, including where to find bomb shelters and how to store emergency supplies.
It teaches people where to find bomb shelters via mobile phone applications and what to do in an emergency, including how to differentiate air raid sirens, based on comparable manuals from Sweden and Japan. Taiwan is still outgunned by China, but conquering the hilly island would be a difficult task for any military.
In 1979, Washington broke diplomatic ties with Taipei. It developed diplomatic relations with Beijing in part to counter the Soviet Union, which was previously a mutual Cold War rival. While China continues to claim Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to use force to reclaim it, America's relations with Taiwan have remained strong albeit technically unofficial, as per Newsweek via MSN.
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