A US congressional delegation arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday night on board a US military plane. This is the second group of Congress members to visit Taiwan this year, following a delegation in June.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry says the trip was organized by the American Institute in Taiwan- the USA’s de facto embassy in Taiwan. However, at the request of the US lawmakers, the details of the visit have not been made public.
US Defense Department Spokesman John Kirby said at a press conference that it is not uncommon for congressional delegations to use US military aircraft. He also said congressional visits to Taiwan are “fairly routine,” and that the trip falls within the scope of Taiwan Relations Act, which guides US foreign policy towards the country.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said on Wednesday that China strongly opposes the US maintaining any governmental or military links with what she called “the Chinese Taiwan area”. She said that members of the US Congress should respect the so-called One China Principle and the stipulations of the Three Communiqués, which underpin US-China diplomatic dialogue. She said Congress members should not send the wrong signal to what she called “Taiwan independence forces.”