Another U.S. congressional delegation met with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei Monday, AP reports — less than two weeks after House Nancy Pelosi’s visit there ratcheted up tensions with China’s government.
Driving the news: Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) is leading a five-member delegation to the self-governing island as part of a larger trip to the Indo-Pacific region, according to a statement from the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. embassy.
- Reps. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-AS) arrived with Markey in Taiwan on Sunday for the two-day trip to the island.
What they’re saying: Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that as “China is continuing to escalate tensions in the region, the U.S. Congress has again organized a heavyweight delegation to visit Taiwan.”
- That shows “a friendship that is not afraid of China’s threats and intimidation, and highlighting the U.S.’ strong support towards Taiwan,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency ran an editorial Sunday headlined: “U.S. politicians should stop playing with fire on Taiwan question.”
Details: The delegation was scheduled to meet with Taiwanese officials to discuss U.S.-Taiwan relations, global supply chains, trade, investment, regional security and climate change, among other topics, per the statement.
- The trip had not previously been announced.
The big picture: China denounced Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan earlier this month as an infringement on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
- Her visit pushed China to initiate days of military drills near Taiwan, which Taipei said were meant to simulate an attack.
Context: Taiwan separated from China in 1949, but Beijing regards the democratically run island as a breakaway province.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with comment from both Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Xinhua, to reflect that the delegation met with Taiwan’s president, and further context has been added.
Source:axios.com