American elected official Mike Gallagher on Thursday accused Beijing of
“intimidation”
against Taiwan, after his arrival on the island for talks with Taiwanese leaders.
The elected Republican, who chairs the House of Representatives special committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and a delegation of five people, are to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te, who won presidential election last month and will take office in May.
“Time and time again, Taiwan has shown the world how to stand up to Chinese Communist Party intimidation and not only survive, but thrive,”
Mike Gallagher said in a statement.
The United States is the main ally of Taiwan, an island with tense relations with China which claims it as one of its provinces and does not rule out the use of force to regain control.
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This visit demonstrates
“the strong bipartisan support of the
American Congress
for Taiwan
,” declared Thursday the spokesperson for the presidency of Taiwan, Olivia Lin.
“We believe that Taiwan and the United States can continue to deepen exchanges and cooperation, jointly safeguard peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, and defend hard-won democracy and freedom,” he said
. she declared.
Previous stormy visits
The delegation will stay until Saturday and will focus on relations between the United States and Taiwan, regional security and trade, said in a statement the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington's de facto embassy in Taipei.
The United States does not officially recognize Taiwan, but it is the island's most important ally and arms supplier.
Previous visits by American political leaders have provoked a strong reaction from Beijing.
The visit of Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the House of Representatives, in 2022, was followed by the largest military exercises ever carried out by China around the island.
In January, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson reiterated that Beijing was
“firmly opposed”
to any official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan, after a meeting between President-elect Lai and a delegation.
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Relations between Beijing and Taiwan were further strained this month after the death of two Chinese at sea chased by Taiwanese authorities.
Beijing accused Taipei on Wednesday of wanting to
“hide the truth”
about the incident while the Taiwanese authorities say they strictly applied the law.