Several members of the US Congress visited Taiwan, ignoring China’s requests not to make the visit. Photo/Illustration
Five members of the US House of Representatives arrived in Taiwan for a meeting with government officials, after celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with American troops in South Korea. The visit, which marks the second trip to Taiwan this month by a member of the US Congress, was described as an attempt to discuss economic and security issues while reaffirming America’s commitment to Taiwan.
US lawmaker Elissa Slotkin said when news of the latest travel broke on Wednesday, her office received a “blunt message” from the Chinese Embassy asking her to cancel the Taipei meeting.
Also read: Chinese Office on the US: No Room for Compromise in Taiwan
“We strongly urge the congressmen to immediately cancel the planned visit to Taiwan and not support and embolden the Taiwan independence separatist forces, lest they cause great damage to China-US relations and the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait,” Slotkin said, imitating the contents of the Chinese embassy letter, as quoted from Russia Today, Friday (11/26/2021).
The US congressman added that he was interested in discussing supply chain issues with Taiwan, given the island is home to the largest supplier of microchips to the Michigan automaker. The delegation included three Democrats and one Republican.
Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway province. President Joe Biden last week confirmed in a lengthy phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping that Washington will continue to comply with the Taiwan Relations Act, including the “One-China policy.” But Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said she remained confident that the US would defend the island if it was “attacked” by China.
The Biden-Xi Jinping talks appear to have done little to reduce the fuss over the region. Most recently a US Navy destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, although in the past there have been complaints from China that the move was provocative.
Also read: US warships transit the Taiwan Strait for the 11th time
Following the visit of US lawmakers earlier this month to Taipei, Beijing held military exercises in the region , which according to Taiwan officials violated their airspace.
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