US Senator Tammy Duckworth is in Taiwan on her fourth visit since becoming a member of Congress in 2017, during which she is to meet with President William Lai (賴清德) and other top officials to exchange views on regional security issues, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
During her brief stay until tomorrow, Duckworth is to also meet with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), and visit various agencies to discuss defense, economic and cross-strait issues, the ministry said in a news release.
Photo: CNA
Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, Purple Heart recipient and former assistant secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, last visited Taiwan in May last year soon after Lai and Hsiao were sworn in as Taiwan's new president and vice president.
She also announced a US donation of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan during her June 2021 visit, when Taiwan was in desperate need of vaccines at the height of the pandemic, the ministry said, praising her as a staunch supporter of Taiwan.
Duckworth's visit means there are currently three US delegations in Taiwan, the others being a delegation from the House of Representatives led by House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman and one led by Guam Governor Lourdes A Leon Guerrero.
The American Institute in Taiwan said in a separate news release today that Duckworth's group is visiting Taiwan as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region.
"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," it said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
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