TAIPEI: A US lawmaker delegation arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday (Sep 7) on a previously unannounced trip, the latest group of senior officials from the country to visit the island and defying Beijing which has reacted with anger to such trips.
The de facto US embassy in Taiwan said the eight lawmakers, led by Stephanie Murphy, a Democrat from Florida who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, would be staying until Friday as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region.
“The delegation will meet with senior Taiwan leaders to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, global supply chains, and other significant issues of mutual interest,” it added.
China views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, dismissing the strong objections of the government in Taipei.
China carried out war games last month near Taiwan following a trip to Taipei by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and has continued its military activities around the island since then.
Other US lawmakers have since come after Pelosi’s trip, as well as the governor of the US state of Arizona.