US Senator Blackburn Visits Taiwan in Latest Defiance of China – Following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip earlier this month, which drastically heightened tensions with China, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.
Tsai cited Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as well as the extensive military drills China conducted in reaction to Pelosi’s visit as threats to democratic governments like the U.S. and Taiwan. “These developments demonstrate how authoritarian countries are disrupting and threatening the world order,” she said.
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Republican Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn underlined the shared ideals of the two governments and expressed her desire to “continue to support Taiwan as they march forward as an independent nation.”
High-level foreign trips to the island are seen as interference in its internal affairs and a de facto acceptance of Taiwanese sovereignty by China, which regards Taiwan as its own territory that it will use force to seize if necessary. Some believed that China’s recent military exercises were a practice run for future military action against the island, something U.S. military experts believe could happen in the coming years.
Tsai and Blackburn stressed the value of economic ties during their discussion, particularly in the semiconductor industry, where Taiwan is a global leader and the United States wants to attract more foreign investment. As part of a U.S. effort to “expand our diplomatic footprint in the area,” Blackburn visited Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea before arriving in Taipei late on Thursday.
China has been gaining influence in the western Pacific, negotiating a comprehensive security deal with the Solomon Islands that is perceived by the United States and its allies, including Australia, as an attempt to undermine the region’s long-standing security order.
Pelosi was the highest-ranking official from the United States to travel to Taiwan in the past 25 years. As a punitive measure, China announced six zones surrounding the island for military drills that included launching missiles over the island and sending ships through the Taiwan Strait’s midline, which was viewed as a demilitarized zone between the two sides. The missiles made some landings in the exclusive economic zone of Japan.
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US Senator Blackburn Visits Taiwan in Latest Defiance of China – In deference to China, Washington has no official diplomatic relations with Taipei, but it continues to be the largest security guarantor for the island because U.S. law requires it to make sure Taiwan has the ability to defend itself and to treat threats to the island as matters of grave concern.
