Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Taiwan from March 2 to 5. That’s according to a statement from Taiwan’s foreign ministry on Monday.
During his three-day visit, Pompeo will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen, Vice President Lai Ching-te, Legislative President You Si-kun, and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. He will also give a speech at the invitation of the Prospect Foundation, which is a prominent Taiwanese think tank.
The foreign ministry says Pompeo is a long-time friend of Taiwan, who has contributed a lot to strengthening US-Taiwan ties. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou says Pompeo helped to authorize sales of military equipment to Taiwan by the Trump administration. She says Pompeo was also responsible for strengthening security guarantees to Taiwan and for relaxing the United States’ rules on meetings between US officials and their Taiwanese counterparts.
The foreign ministry is also thanking Pompeo for his part in setting up several bilateral cooperation mechanisms, such as the U.S.-Taiwan Consultations on Democratic Governance in the Indo-Pacific Region.
Pompeo has continued to speak out in support of Taiwan’s freedoms and democracy since leaving office in January 2021.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou says Pompeo’s upcoming visit shows “rock solid” bipartisan support for Taiwan in the United States.