Three US senators are visiting Taiwan this week and would discuss trade and other issues with President William Lai (賴清德), a trip that comes as Taipei pushes ahead with tariff talks with Washington.
The American Institute in Taiwan said in a statement yesterday that Republican senators Pete Ricketts and Ted Budd, along with Democratic Senator Chris Coons, were visiting until Saturday as part of a broader visit to the region.
While US lawmakers regularly visit Taiwan, this is the first since US President Donald Trump took office in January.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Taiwan, which had been due to be hit with 32 percent levies as part of Trump’s now-paused tariff regime, held its first round of direct talks with US officials last week to discuss the issue.
“The delegation will engage in a series of high-level meetings with senior Taiwan leaders to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, and other significant issues of mutual interest,” the institute said.
“Their visit underscores the United States’ commitment to its partnership with Taiwan and reaffirms our shared commitment to strengthening a Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” it said.
The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the senators would meet with Lai and other senior leaders to discuss the “close partnership” between Taiwan and the US, the security situation in the Taiwan Strait and the strengthening of security in the Indo-Pacific region.
Ricketts is chair of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific and International Cybersecurity Policy.
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