The chairman of the US House of Representatives on China said during a meeting with the country’s newly elected president that support for Taiwan was “extremely strong.”
Mike Gallagher leads the five-member delegation that met yesterday with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te.
The duo had won the presidential elections last month and will take office in May.
“I actually think that the support for Taiwan in the United States Congress… I see growing and extremely strong support for Taiwan,” Gallagher told the media.
Gallagher, an outspoken critic of China, added that he believed U.S. support for Taiwan would not be affected by the outcome of his country’s 2024 presidential election.
Mike Gallagher (left), Speaker of the US House of Representatives on China, said US support for Taiwan was ‘extremely strong’
Gallagher, an outspoken critic of China, added that he believed U.S. support for Taiwan would not be affected by the outcome of his country’s 2024 presidential election.
“I am confident that support for Taiwan will continue regardless of who occupies the White House,” he said.
He also said that any attempt by Beijing to invade Taiwan would be “incredibly foolish.”
“If Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party ever made the incredibly foolish decision to invade Taiwan… the effort would fail,” he said during the meeting with Lai.
Earlier, President Tsai welcomed US lawmakers and said the visit demonstrated “unwavering US support for Taiwanese democracy through concrete action.”
“We will continue to advance our international partnerships and work with the world. In 2024, we hope to see even more exchanges between Taiwan and the US in a range of domains,” she said.
The delegation will stay until Saturday as part of a larger visit to the region, the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington’s de facto embassy in Taipei, said in a statement.
Gallagher is joined by U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi, John Moolenaar, Dusty Johnson and Seth Moulton.
The delegation’s visit will focus on U.S.-Taiwan relations, regional security and trade and other issues, a statement from Gallagher’s committee said.
He also said that any attempt by Beijing to invade Taiwan would be “incredibly foolish.”
Earlier, President Tsai welcomed US lawmakers and said the visit demonstrated “unwavering US support for Taiwanese democracy through concrete action.”
In November 2023, US President Joe Biden hosted his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping (pictured) for a summit on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific economic meeting, during which the two agreed to restore military communications.
The United States is Taiwan’s most important ally and the island has been the focus of tensions with China, which claims the country as its territory and has not ruled out using force to bring it under Beijing’s control.
Although the United States does not formally recognize Taiwan, it is the island’s most important ally and supplier of military equipment – a thorn in the side of ties between Washington and Beijing.
The US State Department yesterday authorized the sale of an advanced tactical data link system worth $75 million to Taiwan, according to a Pentagon statement.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense welcomed the move, saying in a statement that “the US provides us with the means to enhance our ability to counter current and future threats.”
Ahead of his election victory, Lai of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vowed to defend the island against China’s “intimidation.”
Relations between the United States and China have been fraught for years, with tensions simmering over a range of issues, including trade, alleged espionage, human rights and foreign policy.
Tensions have eased significantly over the past year following a series of high-level meetings between U.S. and Chinese officials.
In November 2023, US President Joe Biden hosted his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for a summit on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific economic meeting, during which the two agreed to restore military communications.
The US State Department yesterday authorized the sale of an advanced tactical data link system worth $75 million to Taiwan, according to a Pentagon statement
Beijing has called Lai a “troublemaker” and a “separatist” and responded to his victory by warning against taking steps toward formal independence, which the president-elect opposed.
Beijing has called Lai a “troublemaker” and a “separatist” and responded to his victory by warning against taking steps toward formal independence, which the newly elected president says he opposes.
“If anyone on the island of Taiwan considers going for independence, he will try to split China, and will definitely be severely punished by both history and law,” Wang said at the time.
In January, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson reiterated that Beijing was “strongly opposed” to any official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan after Lai met a visiting US delegation.
In the latest flare-up, Beijing accused Taipei on Wednesday of trying to “conceal the truth” about an incident in which two Chinese nationals were killed following a confrontation between their fishing vessel and a Taiwanese coast guard boat in Taiwan-controlled waters.