Former Senator Chris Dodd and two former Deputy Secretaries of State, Richard Armitage and James Steinberg, arrive in Taiwan this afternoon.
President Biden sent former U.S. Senator Chris Dodd and two former Deputy Secretaries of State, Richard Armitage and James Steinberg, to Taiwan for a visit, and the delegation arrived at Taipei’s Songshan Airport at 3:10 p.m. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Wu Chiu-shep and the Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Taiwan Foreign Minister Wu Chiu-Shep and AIT Taipei Office Director Li Ying-Chieh were on hand to meet the delegation.
Taiwan Presidential Office spokesperson Tun-Han Chang said today that President Tsai Ing-wen is expected to receive the delegation at 10 a.m. tomorrow at the Presidential Office and host a banquet at her residence later that day. The two sides are expected to deepen cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. at all levels and in all fields, and to exchange views in depth to continue to strengthen the sound development of Taiwan-U.S. relations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that the delegation’s visit demonstrates the rock-solid relationship between Taiwan and the United States.
Reports indicate that the mission is “unofficial” in nature and is to commemorate the 42nd anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act legislation. The delegation also included former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and James Steinberg. The delegation will meet with senior Taiwanese officials, following a long tradition of high-level, unofficial visits to Taiwan by bipartisan U.S. administrations. The statement also emphasized that “the United States stands with our friends and allies in the Indo-Pacific region to advance shared prosperity, security and values, and that includes deepening relations with Taiwan.”
On behalf of the government and people of the Republic of China, Tsai wholeheartedly welcomed the delegation to Taiwan and expressed her sincere appreciation to Biden and the U.S. government for their support of Taiwan, Tun-Han Chang noted.
The delegation will be joined by President Tsai Ing-wen, who will visit Taiwan on behalf of the ROC government and people.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen will meet with visiting former U.S. Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT).
The Biden administration has continued to deepen exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. in various fields since taking office, as is evident to all,” said Tun-Han Chang. This shows the strong friendship between Taiwan and the United States on the one hand, and demonstrates once again the rock-solid relationship between Taiwan and the United States on the other, and also fully conveys the cross-party support of the United States for Taiwan.
The 76-year-old Dowd and Biden have a deep friendship, and Biden once described Dowd as his “single best friend”. Dodd has served in the U.S. Congress for 36 years, the first six years as a member of the House of Representatives, then 30 years as a senator, and Biden has long worked in the Senate. After Biden became the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee last year, Dodd was also involved in the selection process for his deputy.
In response to the visit of Dodd and others to Taiwan, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office, said today that the Americans should “figure out what is right and wrong” and “stop sending wrong signals to the forces of Taiwan independence”.
The government’s spokesperson, Ma Xiaoguang, pointed out at today’s regular press conference that the current situation in the Taiwan Strait is complicated and serious, and that “the root cause and responsibility lies with the DPP authorities”. China opposes “any form of official interaction” between Taiwan and the United States.
Ma also stressed that the U.S. side has a “clear commitment to China” on the Taiwan issue and asked the U.S. side to “stop sending wrong signals to the Taiwan independence forces”. As for the “unofficial” nature of the U.S. delegation, Ma said that official or unofficial is a “deceptive front” and that no matter what excuses and cover-ups are made, they will not change the fact that “Taiwan is part of China” and will only aggravate the situation. No matter what excuses and cover-ups are made, they will not change the fact that “Taiwan is part of China” and will only aggravate the tension in the Taiwan Strait.
Regarding the military exercises and training operations of the Communist forces in the Taiwan Strait, Ma pointed out that this shows Beijing’s determination to contain Taiwan independence and Taiwan-US collusion, not just lip service. The Taiwan issue is an internal affair of China and does not allow any foreign interference. China is firmly opposed to the U.S. side’s exaggerating the so-called “Chinese Communist military threat” argument and the U.S. side’s playing the “Taiwan card” and continuing to send wrong signals to the Taiwan independence forces. The U.S. side is urged to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three joint communiqués and handle the Taiwan issue carefully and properly.
Ma Xiaoguang continued the “same old story”, Taiwan independence is a dead end, China reserves the option to take all necessary measures, does not promise to give up the use of force, warned the DPP authorities, holding foreign countries hostage, relying on the United States to seek independence, will only push Taiwan to disaster.
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