US senator meets Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in show of support for island
David Perdue and Tsai exchanged views on regional peace, cross-strait issues and bilateral trade in second visit by a US heavyweight this week
US Senator David Perdue, one of President Donald Trump’s closest supporters in the Senate, added a Taiwan stop to his Asia trip in a show of support for the island after it lost two more diplomatic allies to Beijing last month.
The Dominican Republic terminated official ties with Taiwan in early May, followed by Burkina Faso last week – leaving the self-ruled island with just 18 allies left as Beijing uses economic lures to gain diplomatic support and put the squeeze on Taipei.
Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway province subject to eventual unification, by force if necessary. Cross-strait tensions have been rising since President Tsai Ing-wen from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party came to power two years ago and refused to accept the one-China principle, prompting Beijing to suspend official exchanges with the island.
Perdue, a Republican senator who sits on the Armed Services Committee, met Tsai in Taipei on Friday, Taiwan’s presidential office said in a statement.
He reiterated Washington’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act and expressed its appreciation for the island’s long-standing support of the US and its contribution to the region, the statement said.