Advertisement
US group urges Taiwan’s Lai to keep calm and carry on with the cross-strait status quo
- Former White House officials offer support for island’s next administration following the DPP’s win in the weekend’s presidential election
- The visit is a pre-emptive move to stop things from getting out of control, analyst says
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
79
Lawrence Chungin Taipei
A delegation from the United States has arrived in Taiwan in a show of America’s continued support for Taipei, two days after the self-ruled island elected a new president.
The delegation, led by former national security adviser Stephen Hadley and former deputy secretary of state James Steinberg, landed on the island on Sunday amid warnings from Beijing that the election of William Lai Ching-te would increase the risk of conflict.
Observers said that aside from showing support for the new administration which takes office in May, the trip was also an attempt by the White House to head off any plans by the Lai leadership to alter the balance of cross-strait relations.
Advertisement
Sent by the administration of US President Joe Biden, members of the group met Lai and incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday to assess post-election developments first-hand.
10:34
What Taiwan’s presidential election will mean for China, the US and the world
What Taiwan’s presidential election will mean for China, the US and the world
In separate closed-door meetings, the retired officials told Lai and Tsai that US-Taiwan relations would remain on a firm footing under the new administration.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x