Taiwan's president visits Nasa space centre, in a move likely to anger Beijing
Tsai Ing-wen, the Taiwanese president visited Nasa’s space centre in Houston on Sunday, in a move that indicates deepening ties between Taipei and Washington, but which is expected to infuriate Beijing.
The trip to the Johnson Space Centre in Texas marks the first time a sitting leader from the self-ruling island has entered a US federal building in an official capacity, although her presence in Houston and in Los Angeles a week earlier were only brief stopovers en route to Paraguay and Belize.
But even short transit stops on US soil have traditionally provoked a sharp response from China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and has tried to undermine its sovereignty and stepped up pressure on the international community to exclude Taipei from global forums.
Taiwan’s population of 23 million meanwhile operates like any other democratic nation with its own government, currency, military and foreign policy and the majority of citizens identify as Taiwanese.
Only 18 countries, mainly small Pacific islands and Central American nations, have formal ties with the Taiwanese government, however.
The US has not officially recognised Taiwan since 1979, when it shifted its recognition to China’s communist government and imposed restrictions on visiting senior Taiwanese officials to keep Beijing on side.
Ms Tsai’s transit is the first stopover for the Taiwanese president since the US Congress unanimously passed the Taiwan Travel Act earlier this year, allowing US government figures up to cabinet-level security officials to travel to the island and high-level officials from Taiwan to enter the US.
Previously US policy did not permit bilateral visits by Cabinet-level officials. But behind-the-scenes, democratic Taiwan has long had influential allies in Washington’s corridors of power, with high profile legislators giving a nod to its strategic importance to America’s interests in the Pacific region.
During her earlier stop in Los Angeles, Ms Tsai met with three senior US politicians, including California Representative Brad Sherman, who called for the president herself to be granted a trip to Washington, reported Politico.
Thank you @Astro_Ellen & @AstroIronMike for coming out on Sunday for a behind-the-scenes tour of @NASA_Johnson. Missed @space_station's #Taiwan fly-by by 23 minutes. Look forward to finding ways of how Taiwan can better support international space efforts. pic.twitter.com/QWOuXm761R
— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) August 19, 2018
“I want to see one of the highest level” of visits between the US and Taiwan and that is to “welcome you [Tsai Ing-wen] in Washington DC,” he said.
Ed Royce, the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, who also met with President Tsai, praised the “many positive developments in the US-Taiwan relationship this year.”
He added: “By encouraging more frequent visits between our two peoples and governments, we further strengthen the critical US-Taiwan partnership.”
Washington has recently called attention to its positive relations with Taiwan amid soaring tensions with China over trade and Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.
“We’ll never know for sure if this [visit] is because of the Taiwan Travel Act or if it would have happened anyway because the Trump administration, as well as Congress, is filled with very enthusiastic supporters of US-Taiwan relations,” said Ross Feingold, a Taipei-based lawyer and political analyst.
The hard work of the women & men of @houstonpolice in keeping @iingwen & the #Taiwan delegation safe & secure is tremendously appreciated. Many thanks for going above & beyond during our stopover in #Houston. JW pic.twitter.com/K67dWk4Wld
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) ���� (@MOFA_Taiwan) August 19, 2018
“It’s good that President Tsai was welcomed to visit this facility. Does it change what was already a positive trajectory of US-Taiwan relations? Probably not.”
China would likely react with the “same style of anger and public statements that we have seen throughout any kind of stopover by the Taiwan president,” he told The Telegraph.
“The fact that it was a federal building doesn’t make it unprecedented if China was to do something like cancel bilateral scientific meetings,” he said.
Regardless of ongoing tensions with Beijing, Taiwan’s government was clearly thrilled by the invitation to Nasa.
“#Houston, we’ve to a president! Couldn’t be more proud. @iingwen is the 1st leader of #Taiwan to tour @NASA_Johnson during a #US stopover. Thanks @Astro_Ellen for helping realize this milestone moment,” tweeted Joseph Wu, the foreign minister.
President Tsai also took to Twitter to express her gratitude. “Before we take off, I want to thank everyone involved for making my #Houston stopover a wonderful one filled with good memories. My administration will continue strengthening every aspect of #Taiwan-US relations. Until next time!”
