The bipartisan delegation, including Michael McCaul, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, arrived in Taipei on Sunday for a week of talks and will conclude their visit on May 30….reports Asian Lite News
Following a two-day large-scale military exercise by China surrounding Taiwan, a bipartisan delegation of US lawmakers arrived in Taipei to hold talks on US-Taiwan relations with the newly-sworn president Lai Ching-te administration, reported Taiwan News.
The delegation, including Michael McCaul, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, arrived in Taipei on Sunday for a week of talks and will conclude their visit on May 30.
During their visit, the delegation is expected to hold talks on US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, as well as other issues of mutual interest, according to a press release by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
McCaul said that the bipartisan group’s visit to Taiwan this week “sends a signal to the Chinese Communist Party that the United States stands with the people of Taiwan and will work to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.”
The visit was announced last week by Congress member Michael McCaul, who is also a part of a larger visit that will include other stops in the Indo-Pacific region, the American Institute in Taiwan stated.
McCaul of Texas is accompanied by a congressional delegation, including Representatives Young Kim and Jimmy Panetta of California, Joe Wilson of South Carolina, Andy Barr of Kentucky, and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Taiwan News reported.
The delegation is expected to meet with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, with their visit occurring one week after his inauguration.
The congressional visit also comes after China concluded two days of military exercises around Taiwan on Saturday.
US Representative Jimmy Panetta said that the trip demonstrates the “necessary partnership” between Taiwan and the US.
“I look forward to congratulating President Lai Ching-te on his inauguration and continuing to strengthen the bond between our two nations,” Panetta said. (ANI)
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Lai thanks the US for supporting peace
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on Sunday expressed his gratitude to the US and the international community for support amid higher tensions in the region, calling on China to jointly shoulder the important responsibility of regional stability.
“I am very grateful to US President Biden, the US government and Congress, and other countries around the world for their firm support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Lai told reporters in southern Taiwan at an event held by his independence-leaning Progressive Progressive Party Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
During his inaugural speech on Monday, Lai stressed that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are indispensable to global security and prosperity.
“Any country that creates disturbance in the Taiwan Strait and affects regional stability will not be accepted by the international community,” Lai said.
Lai said he is very much looking forward to enhancing mutual understanding and reconciliation through exchanges and cooperation with China in order to create mutual benefits.
Lai’s comments came just a day after Washington said it was “deeply concerned” about China’s military drills in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan, which were conducted days after Lai’s inauguration.
“We are monitoring PRC activities closely and coordinating with allies and partners regarding our shared concerns,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement on Saturday.
“We strongly urge Beijing to act with restraint. Using a normal, routine, and democratic transition as an excuse for military provocations risks escalation and erodes longstanding norms that for decades have maintained peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, which is critical for regional and global security and prosperity and a matter of international concern,” Miller said.
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