U.S. Lawmakers Visit Taiwan to Strengthen Relationship Despite Tensions with China

A delegation of U.S. lawmakers visited Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday to meet with the head of Taiwan’s legislature and President Tsai Ing-wen. The visit comes amid tense relations between the U.S. and China over accusations of spying.

President Tsai thanked the lawmakers for coming and promised to deepen military cooperation between the two sides, despite objections from China, which claims the island as its own territory. Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to unite Taiwan with mainland China, although the sides have been separated since a civil war in 1949.

The group was one of many U.S. delegations President Tsai has welcomed in recent years, even as Beijing has stepped up diplomatic and military harassment of Taiwan. China responded to foreign visits by holding large-scale military exercises seen by some as a rehearsal for a blockade or invasion.

On Monday, the delegation held talks with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s founder Morris Chang, considered the father of the island’s chip industry. U.S. Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat who represents Silicon Valley, said he was in Taiwan to learn about the island’s role in the semiconductor industry.

The visit by U.S. lawmakers to Taiwan is a sign of the strong relationship between the two countries, despite the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and China.