Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday — the third visit by a U.S. lawmaker this month. Blackburn called Taiwan a 'country' in passing, saying it was important to support the island in 'preserving its freedom.'
BEIJING — Sen. Marsha Blackburn met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday in Taipei, the latest U.S. lawmaker to visit the island at a time of tense relations with China.in early August plunged cross-strait relations to recent lows and prompted Beijing to launch large-scale military exercises in the waters around Taiwan.Taiwan has been self-ruled for decades and is one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies.
In her visit on Friday, Blackburn called Taiwan a “country” in passing, while saying it was important to support Taiwan in “preserving its freedom.”“I am looking forward to a wonderful visit. And yes indeed, I do remember my visit fondly in 2008 and the opportunity to get to see some of your country firsthand,” Blackburn told Tsai, according to aTsai called Blackburn an “important and close friend of Taiwan” and expressed hope that Taiwan would be more deeply integrated into U.S.
“We look forward to working hand in hand with the United States and other like-minded democracies to safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Tsai said. Blackburn’s remarks come as a number of U.S. lawmakers have used visits to Taiwan to advocate for a shift in American policy. During a visit in March, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo suggested that the United States should do away with its policy of “strategic ambiguity,” whereby Washington remains vague about whether the U.S. military would intervene in a cross-strait conflict.
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