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Latest US congressional group lands in Taiwan, will meet President Tsai Ing-wen

A bipartisan US congressional group led by the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee landed at Taipei's Songshan airport on Thursday night, the latest in a string of such visits to Taiwan by US lawmakers.

The delegation, comprising Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, and four Republican senators - including Lindsey Graham from South Carolina - as well as a Republican congressman, is expected to leave on Friday evening after a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen.

Others in the group are senators Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Ben Sasse (R- Nebraska), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and House Representative Ronny Jackson (R-Texas).

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US Senator Bob Menendez. Photo: AFP alt=US Senator Bob Menendez. Photo: AFP>

The visit drew a furious response from Beijing, with foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian saying "the Chinese side resolutely opposes any form of official exchange between the US and Taiwan, and US congressmen must also follow the US government's one-China policy".

He warned the US against "walking further and further along a dangerous path" and said Beijing would take "forceful measures to resolutely uphold Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity".

The delegation had earlier been in Australia, where Menendez and Graham told Sky News Australia that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was pushing for a greater US military presence in the country.

They also warned that the Solomon Islands could fall under Chinese ownership if it allowed Beijing to establish a military base in the South Pacific, after reports earlier this month of a security pact between the two nations.

The two US senators said they would be travelling to Japan to have "very deep conversations" about where it sits in the changing dynamics of the Indo-Pacific and how it views its security interests. Sky News Australia reported earlier that the US delegation would next head to Taiwan and then Japan for top-level talks on China.

It is not immediately clear how the group will meet President Tsai, who is observing seven days of self-health management after completing two weeks of home quarantine on Thursday.

The precautionary measures began after Tsai came into contact with a Covid-19 case during a family meal. She later tested negative and remains in good health, according to the presidential office. Nevertheless, a visiting delegation from the Swedish parliament met her via videoconference on Tuesday, because of the health restrictions.

The Taiwanese foreign ministry initially declined to comment on the American team's visit but confirmed their arrival on Thursday evening. Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Taiwan welcomed foreign dignitaries who showed support for the island.

After the foreign ministry confirmed the visit, the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto US embassy, issued a statement saying the delegation "will meet with senior Taiwan leaders to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, and other significant issues of mutual interest".

Menendez, who is known for his pro-Taiwan stance, co-sponsored a draft bill with Republican Marco Rubio in February to rename Taipei's de facto embassy in Washington as the Taiwan Representative Office.

The move sharply angered Beijing, which regards the self-ruled island as its own territory and thereby not entitled to full representation.

In October last year, Menendez and Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), co-chairmen of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, sent a letter of congratulations to Tsai in advance of Taiwan's Double Tenth Day, which celebrates the establishment of the Republic of China, the island's official name.

The letter highlighted the US' enduring commitment to fortifying Taiwan's security and its relationship with Taiwan.

The senators also called for the defence of Taiwan's commitment to democracy and protecting private enterprise, in light of intimidating military activities staged by Beijing in recent months to ramp up pressure on the island.

Beijing sees Taiwan as a wayward province that must be brought under control, by force if necessary, and has repeatedly warned the US against sending high-level politicians to the island and other official contact. The US switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1979, but continues to maintain close ties with Taipei.

Media reports last week of a planned visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi - also a long-time supporter of Taiwan - prompted angry responses from both the foreign ministry and Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing.

Any visit to Taiwan by Pelosi would cross Beijing's "red line", Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned.

Pelosi was reportedly planning to visit Taiwan on April 10 after a trip to Japan, but her travel plans were cancelled after she tested positive for Covid-19.

At a meeting of the Taiwanese legislature on Thursday, Wang Ting-yu from the ruling independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party asked Wu about the possibility of Pelosi visiting the island after her quarantine ended, but the foreign minister declined to comment.

There have been a string of congressional visits to Taiwan in recent years, as the US has sought to broadcast its commitment to helping the island defend itself against possible military action by Beijing, as laid out in its 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.

In two separate visits last November, congressional delegations met senior officials in Taipei, including Tsai.

Last month, US President Joe Biden sent a delegation of former senior defence and security officials to the island, to reassure Taipei of US support as Russia's invasion of Ukraine heightened concerns about a similar cross-strait move by mainland China.

Washington has moved closer to Taiwan in recent years, including through arms deals and more high-level official exchanges, sparking fury from Beijing which has stepped up diplomatic and military pressure on the island.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2022 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2022. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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