US congressional delegation starts Taiwan visit amid heightened cross-strait tensions
- Leading China hawk Mike Gallagher said US support for the island is ‘rock-solid’ and will remain so regardless of the result of November’s elections
- Visit comes after a series of incidents in the past week, including the death of two fishermen from mainland China near Taiwanese-controlled islands
Mike Gallagher, Republican chairman of House committee on the Chinese Communist Party and a vocal China hawk, said the US partnership with Taiwan is stronger and more “rock-solid than ever” and would remain so regardless of the outcome of the elections in November.
“Today freedom is under attack from authoritarian aggression, and we need to be more vigilant than ever if we want to pass on this gift of freedom we have been given to the next generation,” said Gallagher, who also praised Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s leadership.
Tsai, who is due to leave office in May, said the visit represents “staunch US support for Taiwan’s democracy through concrete action” and “highlights the close partnership between Taiwan and the United States”.
Gallagher and four other members of the committee will spend three days in Taiwan as part of a visit to the wider Indo-Pacific region.
The group is expected to meet senior Taiwanese leaders, including president-elect William Lai Ching-te, and civil society representatives to discuss relations with the US, regional security and trade relations, according to the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto US embassy.
