Unlike Pelosi’s trip, the arrival of Markey and his delegation was kept under wraps.
At 6:53 PM on Sunday, a group of US members of Congress touched down at Taiwan’s Taipei Songshan International Airport. This delegation is being led by US Senator from Massachusetts Ed Markey.
Markey’s visit lasted less than 24 hours. He met with President Tsai Ing-wen at 10:00 a.m. on Monday. At 11:00 a.m. he visited Taiwan’s legislative foreign affairs committee, and at noon he attended a banquet hosted by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. And then he left.
Unlike US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s high-profile visit to Taiwan, which drew criticism from China, Markey’s visit flew under the radar. China has been conducting military drills close to Taiwan since Pelosi’s visit.
Taiwan lawmaker Chao Tien-lin says Markey’s visit was not publicized because officials did not want to give China another reason to escalate tensions in the region.
The senator’s visit was shrouded in secrecy. His stop-off at Taiwan’s legislature was a closed-door meeting. And Taiwan’s presidential office chose not to publicize his meeting with Tsai Ing-wen until after he left.
Still, Markey’s visit shows China’s war games haven’t deterred Washington officials from traveling to Taiwan.