(PatriotsUnited.org) – A delegation of House legislators visited the island last week to meet with Taiwan’s newly elected politicians despite Chinese warnings to stay away from the area and Beijing’s military exercises near the island.
A bipartisan US congressional delegation met with Taiwan’s new president in Taipei on Monday, reaffirming Washington’s firm support for the democratic island.
Lai Ching-te, who assumed office on May 20, met with the U.S. team and pledged to continue advocating for military reform in Taiwan while also demonstrating to the world that Taiwanese people are determined to defend their homeland.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas, is spearheading this multi-day diplomatic mission. It follows a week after President Lai Ching-te and his deputies made a speech defying Beijing’s control and emphasizing Taiwan’s independence from the CCP.
According to Rep. Andy Barr, who is also the co-chair of the U.S. Congress’s Taiwan caucus, the US is totally dedicated to providing Taiwan with military, diplomatic, and economic assistance.
After meeting with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, the Republican from Kentucky made a statement at a news conference in Taipei, the capital, asserting that the United States’ resolve to maintain the status quo and peace in the Taiwan Strait should not be doubted or questioned by anyone in the world.
China sees Taiwan as a rebellious colony that it must subjugate, even if it means resorting to force. Although the United States and Taiwan do not have official diplomatic relations, American law requires the US to supply Taiwan with military hardware so that the island can protect itself.
The Chinese government was firmly against the congressional visit, claiming that it threatened international ties between the two countries and the stability of the Taiwan Strait, the waterway that separates Taiwan and China.
Last month, a measure providing military assistance to Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine was approved by Congress, according to McCaul, much to the disapproval of China.
The current exercises, according to Beijing’s Defense Ministry, included joint precision strikes on critical targets, comprehensive battlefield control, a strong warning against external interference and provocation, and severe punishment for the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces.
On Friday, 49 Chinese military aircraft and 19 Chinese navy ships were seen operating near the island, according to the Taiwanese Defense Ministry.
The country heavily criticized China’s military exercises, calling them a “irrational provocation.”
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