Following next week’s extensive joint exercises with the People’s Liberation Army near Taiwan, a nonpartisan group of US lawmakers convened in Taipei on Monday to meet with the new Japanese President.
The group of six House people, led by Michael McCaul, the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is the first class of US authorities to travel to Taiwan since Lai Ching-te became president on May 20.  ,
In response to Lai’s opening statement, which Beijing saw as a development of” Taiwan independence,” the Chinese army on May 24 ended two days of military drills close to Taiwan.
In an opening statement to the conference with Lai, McCaul stated that the causes of China conducted intimidating military exercises by sending 111 aircraft and 46 vessels to demonstrate that they are not interested in taking Taiwan peacefully, as stipulated in the US-Taiwan Relations Act in 1979.  ,
” All governments must stand up against anger and tyranny”, he said. An evil empire is eroding serenity around the world, whether it’s Chairman Xi next door to us in China, Putin in Russia, or the Ayatollah in Iran.
McCaul and Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung had a combined press presentation after the meeting with Lai.  ,
According to McCaul, the most recent Army drills were basically a taster of what a siege of the Taiwan Strait may look like. He asserted that it is crucial to ensure Taiwan has the means required for punishment. Additionally, he added that Washington will expedite the shipping of defensive weapons from the US to strengthen Taiwan’s protection.
” We are moving forwards on those arms systems. I’d like to view them faster, but they are forthcoming”, he said.
According to Lin, the US delegation’s trip to Taipei represents an “important gesture of solidarity that affirms our support for political Taiwan.”
In a press briefing on Monday, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, urged important members of the US Congress to quit playing the” Taiwan card,” quit interfering with China’s domestic affairs, stop supporting and siding with separatist troops, and prevent undermining China-US relationships and cross-strait peace and stability.  ,
” Taiwan is an inherent part of China’s place. China “firmly opposes any effort to shoulder Taiwan and the US through military phone,” she said. ” We will take the necessary steps to strongly support nationwide sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
No nation, organization, or individual should think that they could enter the Taiwan dispute without paying any price, according to Mao, in response to the Foreign Ministry’s most recent choice to censure 12 US defense contractors and 10 top executives.
She once more reaffirmed that the Taiwan issue is the first red line in China-US relations and is at the center of China’s primary interests.
After McCaul traveled to Taiwan in April 2023, China imposed restrictions on him. Beijing accused him of having often interfered in the country’s domestic politics and sent bad signs to” Taiwan freedom” separatists.  ,
McCaul is prohibited from entering China because his house there has been frozen since last year, according to the sanctions.
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang
When McCaul arrived in Taipei on Sunday, Nvidia’s Chief Executive Jensen Huang, dubbed as the Godfather of AI, landed in the area on the same day.
On June 2, Huang will give a talk on the” New Industrial Revolution” to more than a thousand people in the city, according to Chinese internet.  ,
He will also discuss a manufacturing agreement with Hon Hai Technology to ensure the supply of Nvidia’s GB200 chip, which includes two Blackwell graphic processing units ( GPU) and one Grace central processing unit ( CPU).  ,
Up to 30 times more effectiveness can be obtained from a computer with the same amount of H100 Tensor Core GPUs when connected to an exascale system with 36 Grace CPUs and 72 Blackwell GPUs in a single plate.  ,
Hon Hai Technology’s shares rose 5.11 % to TWD185 ( US$ 5.75 ) on Monday.  ,
Huang claimed in May of last year that Nvidia would establish a world-class Artificial study facility in Taiwan. He said the company will use 1, 000 citizens and spend up to TWD24.3 billion for this service.
Nvidia’s desire to develop its AI capabilities in Taiwan is seen as a result of the region’s effort to transition from a chip company to an AI services company.
In his inauguration speech on May 20, Lai pledged to build a global political supply chain that includes Taiwan and similar-minded nations. He not only called for strengthening the national security and national security laws in Taiwan.  ,
” Today, Taiwan masters advanced semiconductor process technology and stands at the center of the artificial intelligence ( AI ) revolution”, Lai said. It is the “global political offer chain,” according to the author, and it has an impact on both the growth of the world economy and the happiness and prosperity of human life.
He stated that Taiwan has applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership ( CPTPP ) and will continue to sign bilateral investment agreements with democratic nations to bolster its trade relations with them.  ,
He said Taiwan may push forward the development of five industries, which include semiconductors, AI, defense market, security monitoring and subsequent- generation communications. He stated that the government would encourage foreign Taiwanese companies to go back to their home countries and make investments.  ,
Read: Nvidia to turn Taiwan into a world- class AI hub ,
Follow Jeff Pao on Twitter at , @jeffpao3