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A high-level US delegation of former government officials will arrive in Taipei late Sunday, in a test of China’s restraint in handling the presidential election in its democratic neighbor.
Taiwan elected Lai Ching-de as president on Saturday, giving the Democratic Progressive Party an unprecedented third term in office.
China has accused Lai of being a dangerous separatist because of his ties to a faction of the Democratic Progressive Party that supports Taiwan’s de facto formal independence.
Lai won only 40% of the vote and the Democratic Progressive Party lost control of the legislature, a result the Chinese government said showed the party did not represent mainstream public opinion.
China on Sunday slammed the United States, Britain and Japan for congratulating Lai on his victory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Being newspaper that it had issued a “solemn representation” to the United States over Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s statement congratulating Lai. The ministry accused the United States of sending a “grave false signal to separatist forces of ‘Taiwan independence.'”
The US visit, first reported by the FT on Thursday, follows similar delegations sent by the US government to Taipei after polls to elect a new president in 2000, 2008 and 2016.
“As we previously did after the Taiwanese presidential election, the U.S. government asked former senior officials to travel to Taiwan in their personal capacities. Former National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley and former Deputy State Secretary Secretary James B. Steinberg is expected to arrive in Taipei on January 14th,” the American Institute in Taiwan, Taipei’s Washington quasi-embassy, said in a statement. AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger will accompany them.
According to AIT, the delegation met with various leading politicians on Monday and expressed “the American people’s support for the success of the election, support for Taiwan’s continued prosperity and growth, and long-standing interest in peace and stability on both sides of the Strait.” They plan to convey their congratulations to Taiwan.
Some observers believe that the U.S. mission at this time is dangerous because the Chinese government vehemently opposes official contact between the Taiwanese government and other countries and could claim that it is being provoked. ing.
Mr. Hadley and Mr. Steinberg are more senior than members of similar post-election delegations in past years. Moreover, the visit comes just as China and the United States are seeking to better manage tense relations following the recent summit between Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has asked other countries to refrain from recognizing Taiwan as a sovereign country. The Chinese government frequently conducts military exercises around Taiwan, and has significantly stepped up military exercises over the past three years to counter what it sees as foreign interference in its internal affairs and collusion with so-called Taiwanese separatist groups. ing.
Taiwanese government officials said there was no reason to be concerned about the visit. “It’s completely consistent with precedent and nothing new,” a senior national security official said.
Asked by reporters to comment on Taiwan’s election results on Saturday, Biden said, “We do not support independence,” a statement that analysts interpreted as an effort to reassure Beijing.
This text is part of the US government’s standard language on Taiwan policy, which includes opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo on both sides, and the ability of both sides to agree to It also includes the requirement that differences be resolved peacefully and without coercion.
Analysts say that apart from showing support for Taiwan’s democracy, another possible purpose of the mission is to provide a timely and accurate view of what Mr. Lai plans to do next. He said it was a matter of understanding.
“With his background as a pro-independence activist, the Biden administration will certainly be looking to see where he steps forward,” said Yahwei Liu, editor of the China Perception Monitor at the Carter Center in Washington. Stated.
But Lai added that he would probably tread carefully.
“The presidency is a completely different position from his previous positions as an independence activist, lawmaker, prime minister, and vice president, and we cannot judge him by his previous achievements,” Liu said. “He’s very restrained now because he understands that if he doesn’t do a good job, things will become unstable.”