“Taiwan is our strongest partner in the Indo-Pacific region. Regular high-level visits to Taipei are long-standing US policy,” Blackburn said in a statement on Thursday. The visit by Pelosi, who earlier this month became the highest-ranking US official to visit the island in 25 years, was cited by Beijing as the trigger for several days of large-scale military exercises in which China fired missiles over Taiwan and flew waves of warplanes into the air defense reconnaissance zone. China’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as part of its territory, even though it has never ruled it, and has refused to rule out the use of force to bring it under control. The US does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is bound by law to provide the island with defensive weapons and has remained deliberately vague about whether it would intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese attack. In a tweet Friday morning, the US senator, who does not represent the Biden administration, reiterated her support for Taiwan. “I will never bow to the Chinese Communist Party,” he said in one. “I will continue to stand by (Taiwanese) and their right to freedom and democracy. Xi Jinping does not scare me,” she later added, referring to China’s leader. In a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday morning, Blackburn emphasized the values of democracy and freedom, which she said Washington shares with Taiwan. “It is indeed important for freedom-loving nations to support Taiwan as they seek to maintain their independence and freedom,” Blackburn said. Tsai said recent visits by US dignitaries “strengthened Taiwan’s determination to defend itself”. “We look forward to continuing to help and support Taiwan as it moves forward as an independent nation,” said Blackburn. Under the long-standing “One China” policy, the US recognizes Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China, but has never formally recognized the Communist Party’s claim to the self-ruled island of 23 million. The US senator will also meet with National Security Council Secretary General Wellington Koo and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu during her three-day visit, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said. China had no immediate comment on Blackburn’s visit, but has expressed its anger since Pelosi’s visit with both military exercises and statements that the actions of US politicians and government police threaten the status quo beyond from the Taiwan Straits. China’s foreign ministry condemned Pelosi for her “evil and provocative actions”, saying her trip to Taiwan amounted to “serious interference in China’s internal affairs”. “U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insisted on visiting Taiwan in disregard of China’s serious concerns and strong opposition, seriously interfering in China’s internal affairs, seriously undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, seriously violating the principle of one China and seriously threatening peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits,” the ministry said. Gladys Tsai in Taipei and Alex Stambaugh in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
