Opinion | Tsai’s visit underlines the increasingly formal relationship between the US and Taiwan

The US Congress, tasked with governing the US’ unofficial ties with Taipei while Washington maintains a formal diplomatic relationship with Beijing, now plays a more active role in countering China

The growing formalisation of US-Taiwan relations, amid a deteriorating US-China relationship, poses a new challenge to cross-strait peace

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Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, and US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy attend a meeting at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, in Simi Valley, California, US, in this handout picture released on April 6. Photo: Taiwan Presidential Office / Handout via Reuters

Published: 1:00am, 9 Apr 2023

Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen visited Guatemala and Belize late last month. The main purpose of her trip was not so much for these two Central American countries that still maintain formal official relations with Taiwan, but for an informal transit through New York and Los Angeles.

Short of a direct visit to the United States and away from landing in Washington, Tsai’s seventh transit through the US since 2016 has nevertheless aroused great concern from the Chinese government. On Wednesday, she met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the Reagan Library on her way back to Taiwan.

The strategic competition between China and the US has continued to intensify under the Biden administration. Given the apparent bipartisan consensus among many US members of Congress in playing the Taiwan card against an assertive and rising China, one should not underestimate the implications of such a meeting.

Consider that the visit of then House speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in August 2022 was followed by strong political reactions from Beijing against Washington and military drills of an unprecedented scale around the island.

Beijing appears determined to take action and register its strong opposition against any form of interaction between Taiwan and the US, at least if we take the previous remarks of Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian at face value.

The Biden administration has tried to cool tensions by reiterating that Tsai had previously been to the United States several times, and that no officials from his administration would be meeting Tsai at this time. But that does not rule out other officials and members of Congress, another important branch of the US government, from meeting Tsai.

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