United States Senator Marsha Blackburn on Thursday visited Taiwan to become the latest member of Congress to defy pressure from China, saying she will "not be bullied by Communist China into turning my back on the island."

The trip by Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, follows several recent visits by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other US officials.

In a statement, Blackburn said that Taiwan is the US' "strongest partner in the Indo-Pacific Region" and high-level visits to Taipei are included in a "long-standing" policy of Washington, as reported by CNN.

The visit by Pelosi, who became the highest-ranking US official to visit the island in 25 years earlier this month, was cited by Beijing as the impetus for several days of large-scale military training in which China launched missiles over Taiwan and flew waves of warplanes into its air defense identification zone.

Although it has never administered Taiwan, the Communist Party governing China claims the island is part of its territory and has refused to rule out the possibility of using force to get it under control.

The USA has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is required by law to supply the island with defensive weaponry and has purposefully remained unclear about whether it would take military action if China attacked.

Preserving Taiwan's Independence

Meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday morning, Blackburn emphasized the values of democracy and freedom, which she said Washington shares with Taiwan, per Reuters.

"It is important indeed that freedom-loving nations support Taiwan as they seek to support to preserve their independence and their freedom," Blackburn said.

Tsai said the recent visits by US public figures have "reinforced Taiwan's determination to defend itself."
Blackburn noted that the US looks forward "to continuing to help and support Taiwan as they push forward as an independent nation."

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry earlier said Blackburn would meet President Tsai Ing-wen, top security official Wellington Koo, and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu during her visit, which culminates on Saturday.

The ministry stated: "The two sides will exchange views extensively on issues such as Taiwan-U.S. security and economic and trade relations."

Taiwan's administration claims that the People's Republic of China has never ruled the island and has no right to do so and that only the island's 23 million people can decide their fate.

The government recently announced a near 14 percent increase in defense, including funds for new fighter jets and other military equipment.

China Vows Serious Actions Against US 'Provocations'

Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for China's Embassy in Washington, promised specific forceful action in response to what he termed "provocations" by the US.

In a statement, per Al Jazeera, Liu noted that the Republican senator's visit "once again proves that the U.S. does not want to see stability across the Taiwan Strait and has spared no effort to stir up a confrontation between the two sides and interfere in China's internal affairs."

When questioned about Sen. Blackburn's Taiwan trip, a White House National Security Council spokesperson said: "Members of Congress and elected officials have gone to Taiwan for decades and will continue to do so, and this is in line with our longstanding One China policy."

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United States, China, Taiwan, Washington