Taipei: A US Congress delegation will be visiting Taiwan from April 16-19 to discuss bilateral relations, regional security, trade, and investment, the American Institute in Taiwan, which oversees Washington-Taipei relations in the absence of official diplomatic representation, said on Wednesday.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Senator Pete Ricketts, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, will lead the delegation. The visit will include a series of high-level meetings with senior Taiwan leaders to discuss U.S.-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, and other significant issues of mutual interest.
The statement added that the visit highlights Washington’s commitment to its partnership with Taipei. Meanwhile, Taiwanese media reported that a delegation of 17 Taiwanese lawmakers will visit the US from April 28 to May 2 to further deepen bilateral relationships.
Taiwan has been governed independently of mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan, a territory with its own elected government, maintains that it is an autonomous country, although it has stopped short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts by foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.