A delegation of US congressmen, led by Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ed Markey, flew to Taiwan, Reuters reported. According to the American Taiwan Institute, which is the de facto US embassy, their visit will last until August 15.
Together with the members of Congress, the plane landed at Taipei airport at 18:53 local time (13:53 Moscow time). Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced the visit.
“Deputy Foreign Minister Yui warmly welcomed Taiwan’s longtime friend, Senator Marquess, and his cross-party delegation,” the ministry said in a statement.
The delegation was greeted at the airport by Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Yui and Douglas Xu, Director-General of the unrecognized state’s Department of State for North American Affairs. The visit is part of the politicians’ trip to the Indo-Pacific region and was not announced in advance.
In addition to Senator Marca, the delegation consisted of four people:
▪️ John Garamendi – Member of the California House of Representatives (Democratic Party);
▪️ Don Byer – Chairman of the US Congress (Democratic Party) Economic Committee;
▪️ Alan Stuart Lowenthal – Member of the California House of Representatives (Democratic Party);
▪️ Amata Colman Radewagen, House of Representatives delegate from American Samoa (Republican Party).
Markey chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity.
Why did congressmen come?
During their stay on the island, members of the delegation will meet with Tsai Ing-wen, head of Taiwan administration, attend a banquet on behalf of Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, and visit the Legislative Yuan (parliament).
“The delegation will meet with Taiwan’s leading leaders to discuss US-Taiwanese relations, regional security, trade and investment, global supply chains, climate change and other key issues of mutual interest.”
According to the American Taiwan Institute.
On August 12, a White House spokesperson said the United States is developing an “ambitious” roadmap to improve trade relations with Taiwan. At the same time, the United States urged China to return to close communication channels with Washington, despite the worsening of relations over Taiwan.
The island administration’s press service described the delegation’s arrival as “confirmation of Taiwan’s strong support from the US Congress.”
Senator Markey’s office said the group will “meet with elected leaders and private sector representatives to discuss common interests, including reducing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and expanding economic cooperation, including investment in semiconductors.”
interest in semiconductors
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US Congress House of Representatives, also touched upon the issues of cooperation in the field of semiconductor manufacturing during her visit to Taiwan. After his visit to the island, the politician said that the USA wants to continue cooperation with Taiwan, and the main opportunities for such cooperation lie in the field of high technologies.
Also, according to The Washington Post, Pelosi met with the CEO of TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), the world’s largest microchip manufacturer, on August 3.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Pelosi and she attended a luncheon with TSMC founder Morris Chang and chairman Mark Liu.
“Everyone exchanged views on deepening cooperation between Taiwan and the United States in various fields… Taiwan and the United States not only share the values of democracy, freedom and human rights, but we also continue to work together on economic development and democratization cooperation in the supply chain, ‘ said Tsai.
It is stated that Pelosi may have discussed with Mark Liu the implementation of a bill approved by Congress that would provide $52 billion in subsidies to US semiconductor factories. The speaker highlighted how vital computer chips have become for US national security. TSMC has been building a facility in Arizona since May 2020 and is considering expanding this project.
According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, TSMC manufactures more than 90% of the world’s high-end chips. The US uses chips made by the company in military hardware and supercomputers at US national labs. Electronic companies, especially Apple, also rely on various semiconductors manufactured by TSMC.
Russia criticized the visit
“A US congressional delegation will visit Taiwan on Sunday. To get back what Pelosi left there?” – The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Maria Zakharova, commented on her visit.
In turn, the head of the State Duma Committee on International Relations, LDPR leader Leonid Slutsky, criticized the visit of the US delegation to Taiwan.
“An interesting way to increase security is to make provocative visits one after the other. Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan has already sparked an escalation in tensions in the region. Isn’t that enough for Americans? said Slutsky.
He reminded that Russia has always supported and will continue to support the “one China” principle.
“Senators and congressmen are throwing stones at the glass house, making sure that the unipolar world era continues with the single pole of gravity – the United States. A dangerous illusion,” the assistant finished.
Tension in the Taiwan Strait
On August 14, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense announced the discovery of 22 Chinese aircraft and six naval vessels in and around the Taiwan Strait. At the same time, it is known that the live fire military exercises of the PRC in the six water areas around Taiwan ended on 8 August.
Tensions in the Taiwan Strait region escalated sharply after Nancy Pelosi’s August 2-3 visit to Taipei. In response to the visit, the Chinese armed forces began large-scale military exercises with rocket firing in six areas of the water area around the island.
On August 10, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Office of Taiwan Affairs and the Press Office of the State Council published the report “The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era” in a white paper. He noted that China will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with Taiwan, but Beijing is also ready to use force to establish control over the island, which it sees as its province.
Source: Gazeta
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