US Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the US Senate Committee on Armed Services, is to lead a congressional delegation to Taiwan this month, a senior congressional official said on Thursday.
The trip, which was first reported by the Financial Times, is to take place as some members of the US Congress — Republicans and Democrats — have expressed concern that US President Donald Trump is de-emphasizing security issues, as he works on negotiating a trade deal with China.
US lawmakers have proposed bills to put pressure on China and voiced unhappiness with reports that President William Lai (賴清德) is set to delay a diplomatically sensitive trip his team had floated to the Trump administration for this month that would have included stops in the US.
Photo: Reuters
US administration officials have said that Trump remains fully committed to Asia-Pacific security matters, as he pursues his trade agenda and a good personal relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wicker’s upcoming trip.
Wicker is one of the fiercest advocates of Taiwan in the US Congress.
Photo: Reuters
The Chinese embassy has urged Wicker and other lawmakers to cancel their plans.
Separately, former British prime minister Boris Johnson is to visit Taiwan next week to attend the Ketagalan Forum on Indo-Pacific security issues and meet with senior Taiwanese officials, UK sources said.
The annual forum, hosted by the Prospect Foundation, is to open on Tuesday.
Johnson is to deliver a keynote speech as a special guest, alongside former Canadian minister of defense Jason Kenney.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier teased a “mystery guest” on social media, now confirmed to be Johnson.
This would mark Johnson’s first visit to Taiwan, as part of a broader trip to Asia that also includes a stop in China.
During his term as prime minister from 2019 to 2022, Johnson promoted stronger UK-China trade ties, pushing to revive the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue and the UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission.
Both initiatives stalled due to Beijing’s crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong.
Johnson’s family has deep-rooted political and business ties with China.
Notably, during Johnson’s time as British secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs in 2018, China purchased land near London’s financial district for a proposed new embassy — a project now under review by the British government due to national security concerns.
As prime minister, Johnson’s administration introduced the 2021 Integrated Review, which outlined a strategic “tilt” toward the Indo-Pacific region.
The 2023 update explicitly mentioned Taiwan for the first time and reaffirmed the region as a long-term UK foreign policy priority.
In 2021, under Johnson’s leadership, the UK deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific region, including a warship that sailed through the Taiwan Strait.
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