The second U.S. congressional delegation to visit Taiwan this week arrived on the self-governing island Wednesday for a meeting with Taiwan's new President Lai Ching-te.
Why it matters: The show of support from the delegation, headed by Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), comes despite complaints from Chinese officials about the earlier visit that Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.) led days after China's military held drills around the island it claims is part of its territory to protest Lai's inauguration.
- The visits come at a crucial time in Taiwan's politics. The country's opposition-controlled legislature passed a bill Tuesday that sparked widespread protests amid concerns it would reduce the Taiwanese president's powers with measures more favorable toward China.
Context: While Lai was elected president, the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People's Party's (TPP) have the most seats in the legislature and AP notes the bill would give the legislature more budget control powers, including on defense spending.
The big picture: The delegation, which also includes Sens. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) and Chris Coons (D-Delaware), will also meet with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim while in Taiwan, whose Democratic Progressive Party that Lai leads "favors strong ties with the United States," according to a statement posted to Sullivan's website Tuesday.
- Sullivan said in a statement that in "these increasingly dangerous times, it is critical that America show steady, unwavering bipartisan commitment and resolve in support of Taiwan's democracy and — critically — we must work with our allies to enhance cross-strait deterrence now."
- Duckworth said in a statement it was important to support "our friends like Taiwan — a partner that our nation has strong economic and military ties with" amid "escalating threats" from China's military as the island worked to strengthen its democracy.
Zoom out: The U.S. has strong unofficial ties to Taiwan while having a longstanding policy regarding the defense of the island known as "strategic ambiguity," meaning the United States won't publicly state its actual intention.
What they're saying: The Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., denounced the lawmakers' trips to Taipei.
- "The Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests and is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations," it said in a letter, per the Wall Street Journal.
- "We urge relevant members of the U.S. Senate to stop playing the 'Taiwan card,' stop interfering in China's internal affairs, stop supporting and conniving at 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces, and stop undermining China-U.S. relations and cross-Strait peace and stability."
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