A US congressional delegation visited Taiwan Thursday to affirm bipartisan support for the first time since the island held presidential elections earlier this month.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), co-chairs of the congressional Taiwan Caucus, met with Taiwanese President-elect Lai Ching-te, who is currently the vice president and a member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Taiwan’s current president, Tsai Ing-wen, oversaw eight years of a significant escalation in tensions with mainland China as her government forged stronger military and diplomatic ties with the US. More of the same is expected when Lai is inaugurated in May, although the opposition party Kuomintang, which seeks to ease tensions with Beijing, won the most seats in the Legislative Yuan.
Lai took aim at China in comments he made while meeting with Diaz-Balart and Bera. “Taiwan is situated in the first island chain and stands on the frontline of China’s authoritarian expansionism. This makes Taiwan a crucial strategic location. Stability across the Taiwan Strait is extremely important to regional and global peace and prosperity,” he said.
“I hope the United States can continue to firmly support Taiwan, deepen bilateral cooperation and relations and work with other democratic partners to ensure peace and prosperity in the region,” Lai added.
Laid also called for more military support from the US, which began providing unprecedented military aid to Taiwan for the first time in 2023. “I also hope that the two co-chairs and our friends in the US Congress can continue to support Taiwan in bolstering its self-defense capabilities,” Lai said.
Diaz-Balart told Lai that there is “100%” bipartisan support for Taiwan in Congress. “Rest assured that you have the support of the United States Congress,” he said.
Congressional visits anger China since Beijing opposes all official contacts between US and Taiwanese officials. This was demonstrated by China launching its largest-ever military drills around Taiwan in August 2022 in response to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visiting the island.
Beijing views the engagement as a violation of the one-China policy the US and China established when they normalized relations, and Washington severed diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1979.
A day before Lai met with the visiting US lawmakers, the US sailed a warship through the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese military said it monitored the US Navy destroyer USS John Finn while it made the provocative transit.
“Recently, the US military has frequently carried out provocative actions and maliciously undermined regional peace and stability,” said Chinese military spokesman Senior Col. Shi Yi. “Troops in the theatre remain on high alert at all times and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability.”
It’s the perfect time to instigate more conflict! We almost ran out of war zones across the globe./s
Joe Biden is our Instigator In Chief. Donald Trump could be the next one on January 20, 2025. Biden escalated the war zones in the Middle East and caused one in Ukraine. Trump said he’ll cause one in Mexico.
Trump has already made clear his attitude toward China and Israel. He won’t make anything better and he might well make things worse.
And, as you say, he’d like to add Mexico to the list of targets.
I guess when you “meant” Israel, you “meant” Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and possibly the entire Middle East? Might as well turn the Presidency over to Netanyahu right now. By the way, that would be the ultimate nightmare, would it not?
Russians are interesting and funny. American and Israeli elites are gross, both have huge deficits and a limited future;
https://www.bitchute.com/video/J0yxjlkcNRYS/
Leaders of the foreign nations always have the support of the benefactors of the arms industries. Ukraine had large support too, as the arms manufacturers got richer, the elected Reps got richer and Deep State-affiliated media endorses it all.
If Congressional hawks eggs on this independence hothead (elected by only 40% of the vote) into actually declaring indepdence and starts a war between us and China, heaven help us all…
Taiwan stopping pretending it’s not independent would not start a war with China. China would have to throw a bigger tantrum than usual and start a war with Taiwan.
I’ve been working on/stealing descriptive terms that help summarize Neocon ideas similar to “Balkanize Russia.” So please feel free to share your own terms. How about: “Zelensky Taiwan?” Or “Ukrainize Taiwan?” I also found someone saying, “Don’t Israel my glasses!” …What’s that? …Why are you attacking me!? Please “Don’t GAZA ME!”
Is Fre Ukraine/ Free Taiwan too anti Putin for you?
Yeah, it is.
“Congressional visits anger China since Beijing opposes all official contacts between US and Taiwanese officials.” Too bad. US congress men can go to a Taiwan. As for the one nation policy, it is a policy, not a treaty. The policy can be changed by either side at any time.
When China makes it`s move on Taiwan it will happen that fast the yanks will be unable to react fast enough and it will be game over .
LOL. Do you think that China can take Taiwan in a day? Do you think that movement of massive amounts of men and equipment needed to successfully attack Taiwan will not be detected?
Taiwan has semiconductors, and it might be useful to the US in the same way that Cuba was useful to the Soviet Union. But I think that Washington and New York policymakers will lose interest as soon as its strategic advantages begin to fade.
Also, it’s beginning to look as if Biden should be more worried about the independence movement in Texas than the independence movement in Taiwan.