Members of the US House of Representatives on Wednesday pledged firm support for Taiwan as they welcomed Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) to Washington, at a time when the administration of US President Donald Trump is reviewing a US$14 billion arms sales package to Taiwan, months after it received preliminary congressional approval.
More than 30 House representatives streamed into the reception at the Longworth House Office Building to show their support, including US representatives Nancy Pelosi, Michael McCaul and Ted Lieu.
“I love Taiwan,” McCaul said as he welcomed Han. “It’s very important to me to say that the United States supports you, Mr Speaker.”
Photo courtesy of Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Hung Yu-shiang
“The support for Taiwan is bipartisan and bicameral — both houses, both parties,” Pelosi said. “It’s about peace. It’s also about commerce in terms of keeping the ships able to travel here.”
Han, who is leading an eight-person delegation, arrived in the nation’s capital on Tuesday night after a stop in Phoenix, Arizona, where chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is building new fabs and producing advanced chips crucial to powering the artificial intelligence boom.
TSMC is the poster child of Taiwan’s importance to the US economy.
The delegation met with seven US senators earlier on Wednesday, including US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The Democratic senators called on the Trump administration to move ahead with the arms sale to Taiwan without further delay.
“We remain committed to maintaining close and friendly relations with Taiwan, providing Taiwan with arms for self-defense and supporting deterrence against growing coercion from the People’s Republic of China,” they said in a statement.
Washington is obligated by a domestic law to provide Taiwan with sufficient hardware to fend off any invasion from China.
Trump, after his May trip to Beijing, has said he would be reviewing the arms package, which Beijing opposes.
Trump has suggested that the package could be a bargaining chip.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that US policy regarding Taiwan remains unchanged.
On Wednesday, several US lawmakers showed their support for the arms package.
“I’m here today ... to affirm in the strongest terms that Taiwan is not a bargaining chip. It is an island of freedom. And we need to do all we can to preserve it,” US Representative Lloyd Doggett said. “I believe we need to make available every weapon that Taiwan needs in its defense as quickly as it becomes possible.”
Lieu accused the Trump administration of holding up the package.
“I urge the administration to reverse that and to allow their arms sale to proceed,” he said.
Han, a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), in a speech complimented the US for its achievements in the past 250 years and said that Taiwan, like the US, cherishes the values of freedom and democracy, and that both sides shoulder the responsibilities of safeguarding the democratic system, and of maintaining regional stability and peace.
Han touted the robust trade between Taiwan and the US.
Taiwan has surpassed Germany as the fourth-largest trading partner of the US, largely driven by the demand for Taiwan’s advanced chips and other tech hardware.
Han also urged Washington to help Taiwan gain more international space.
“On the international stage, Taiwan feels very lonely in its heart,” Han said. “I am here asking Taiwan’s good friends in [the US] Congress ... to help us participate in global activities.”
Han is scheduled to leave the US today for the inaugural nonstop flight by EVA Air (長榮航空) between Washington Dulles International Airport and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, which has also been touted as proof of deepening Taiwan-US ties.
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