TAIPEI, Taiwan — Brendan Carr, one of five commissioners at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, has arrived in Taiwan to attend meetings with Taiwanese government counterparts, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Carr is the first sitting FCC commissioner to visit Taiwan in an official capacity. His trip comes as a steady stream of government officials from democratic nations have visited the self-governing island amid growing pressure from Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its sovereign territory.
Details: Carr plans to meet with officials from Taiwan's National Communications Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other agencies, he told Axios in an interview.
- “Given my position at the FCC, I look forward in particular to deepening the collaboration with Taiwan and sharing views on network resiliency, cyber, and telecom issues that are vital to our shared security interests," Carr told Axios.
- He also said he hopes his visit sends a strong message that "a free and democratic Taiwan — one that is independent from the [Chinese Communist Party]'s brutal authoritarianism — is vital to America's own prosperity." He added that Taiwan's chip industry is also important to American interests and economic growth.
- Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment. Taiwan's National Communications Commission did not respond to a request for comment.
The big picture: Carr is outspoken about the risks posed by Chinese telecommunications companies and has recently urged U.S. government action to ban the Chinese short video platform TikTok.
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