U.S. Lawmakers Make Unannounced Taiwan Visit Following Pelosi’s Trip

A group of five American lawmakers landed in Taiwan on Sunday in an unannounced visit just days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) set off controversy with China following her trip to the self-ruled island.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations East Asia, Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Subcommittee, served as the leader of the surprise delegation.

The other four members included Reps. John Garamendi (D-CA), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), and Don Beyer (D-VA), along with Republican Rep. Amata Radewagen of American Samoa.

UPDATE: The U.S. delegation’s flight landed in Taipei at 18:53 local time. AIT has confirmed that Senator @EdMarkey lead a congressional delegation (@RepLowenthal, @DonBeyerVA and @RepAmata) to Taiwan from Aug 14-15, as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region. 1/ pic.twitter.com/gXfbTZMgjZ

— Tingting Liu 劉亭廷 (@tingtingliuTVBS) August 14, 2022

The visit came following Markey’s visit to South Korea to reaffirm the U.S.-South Korean Alliance. Markey met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and other national leaders earlier Sunday in South Korea before arriving in Taiwan on a separate flight to join the other U.S. lawmakers.

“The U.S.-South Korea alliance is based on shared values and interests – from nuclear disarmament to the fight against climate change, and our commitment to this important relationship is stronger than ever,” Markey said in a statement.

“Through my meetings with President Yoon and other senior government officials, it was evident that our two countries are prepared to meet existential and pressing global challenges head-on. The size, diversity, and lethality of North Korea’s weapons continues to grow, as does its threat to our allies in the region. In my meetings and my visit to the DMZ, we discussed how to continue multilateral pressure and diplomatic efforts to reach a solution that ensures the American people and our allies are safe from a nuclear Kim regime,” he added.

The American delegation to Taiwan comes just 12 days after Pelosi’s controversial stop on the island. Chinese officials pushed back with threats ahead of the visit, and with military tests occurring near Taiwan after her departure.

“Today the world faces a choice between democracy and autocracy,” Pelosi said during her visit with Taiwan’s president. “America’s determination to preserve democracy here in Taiwan and around the world remains ironclad.”

As The Daily Wire previously reported, Taiwan’s government scrambled its air reconnaissance patrol forces and ships after the Chinese government simulated an island invasion on Saturday as part of its fourth straight day of military training.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Taiwan government detected 14 Chinese ships and 20 planes in the Taiwan Strait. Fourteen of those planes crossed the median line toward the island of Taiwan, which sent the country’s military into action.

President Joe Biden addressed the retaliation on August 8 while visiting victims of recent floods in eastern Kentucky.

“I’m not worried but I’m concerned that they’re moving as much as they are,” said Biden. “But I don’t think they’re going to do anything more than they are.”

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