Send top delegation to Taipei, American senators urge Donald Trump as 40th anniversary of Taiwan Relations Act nears
- President urged in bipartisan letter to ‘underscore our nation’s enduring commitment to island’s democracy’ at April event planned by de facto US embassy in Taipei
- Cheng Wen-tsan, mayor of Taoyuan City, says in Washington that Taiwan expects US to counter Chinese military presence in Indo-Pacific
A group of US senators have written to President Donald Trump asking him to send a senior delegation to Taiwan in April for a major event marking the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act.
The bipartisan letter released on Monday said Brent Christensen, director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) – the informal US embassy in Taipei – had “indicated his intention to hold a major event in April to celebrate the anniversary”.
Signed by 16 senators and initiated by influential Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Bob Menendez, the letter requested that Trump “send a cabinet-level official to represent the United States at the AIT event in Taipei to underscore our nation’s enduring commitment to Taiwan’s democracy and its people”.
The letter came on the eve of the opening of the annual meeting in Beijing of the National People’s Congress, mainland China’s legislature, during which Premier Li Keqiang reiterated that Beijing “resolutely opposes Taiwan independence” and was “determined to protect our national sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Separately, Cheng Wen-tsan, mayor of Taoyuan City in Taiwan, said in Washington that Taiwan, a “loyal” and “trusted” partner for the United States in the Indo-Pacific, expected the US to take action to “limit and balance” Beijing’s military presence in the region and maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.