Taiwan receives fourth US delegation visit in a month as tensions with China escalate

The Taiwanese government received its third visit in a month by a U.S. congressional delegation Friday as tensions with China grow over these encounters.

The latest to visit the island was Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, who met Friday with Taiwan President Tsai Ing Wen in the first of several meetings she has scheduled over the next three days.

Blackburn, who sits on a Senate defense committee, thanked President Tsai for her “strong leadership in opposing the Chinese Communist Party,” assuring her that the American people stand with Taiwan.

“Making the long trip to Taiwan is a sign of the strong support of the U.S. Congress,” said Tsai, who believes such visits strengthen them in their “determination” to defend themselves.

Tsai has been busy this week receiving U.S. politicians as before Blackburn already strolled there earlier in the week the governor, also a Republican, of Indiana, Eric Holcomb.

In mid-August, it was Democratic Senator Edward Markey who was also encouraged to travel to Taiwan, leading a delegation that also included Republicans to show Washington’s support for the “increasing authoritarian pressure” that Beijing is allegedly exerting against a territory it considers its own.

Before them, the Taiwan authorities had the opportunity to receive what is so far the most important visit, that of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, at the beginning of the month, provoking an angry response from China, which considered carrying out military exercises.

At least 150 U.S. congressmen have made official trips to Taiwan over the past decade, including 34 during the current Joe Biden Administration. Such encounters are viewed with suspicion by Beijing, which considers them a threat to its sovereignty.

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