Taipei, Taiwan –
A delegation of US lawmakers met with the Taiwanese president on Tuesday and promised to deepen military cooperation between the two countries despite objections from China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory.
The group was one of many U.S. delegations welcomed by President Tsai Ing-wen in recent years despite Beijing’s stepping up diplomatic and military harassment of Taiwan.
In response to overseas visits, China conducted large-scale military exercises seen as rehearsals for blockades and aggression. Beijing has not ruled out the possibility of using force to reunite Taiwan with mainland China, but the two sides have separated since the civil war in 1949, and most Taiwanese are de facto independent. prefers to maintain the status quo.
President Tsai thanked lawmakers for their attendance and said it was an opportunity to deepen ongoing cooperation in semiconductor chip design and manufacturing, renewable energy and next-generation 5G mobile networks.
“Taiwan and the United States will continue to strengthen military exchanges. Going forward, Taiwan will cooperate more actively with the United States and other democratic partners to face bold challenges such as authoritarian expansionism and climate change,” Tsai said. Stated.
Tensions between the United States and China rose after Washington shot down a Chinese reconnaissance balloon that the Chinese government claimed was an unmanned weather balloon. The two countries have also opposed a war in Ukraine, with Secretary of State Anthony Brinken warning on Sunday that Beijing may be considering providing Russia with weapons for the war.
Taiwan remains at flashpoint. Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s chief foreign policy officer, said last weekend that Taiwan “wasn’t and won’t be a country in the future.”
“We are here to affirm the values that the United States and Taiwan share: our commitment to democracy, our commitment to freedom,” said Rep. Lo Khanna of California. “Under the leadership of President Biden, the United States seeks peace in the region.”
He will be accompanied by Texas Rep. Tony Gonzalez, Massachusetts Rep. Jake Oakincross, and Illinois Rep. Jonathan Jackson. The group met on Monday with its legislative counterpart and Morris Chan, founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
Khanna also paid tribute to former US President Jimmy Carter, who recently entered hospice care.
