Taipei, July 27 (CNA) Six Republican members of the United States House of Representatives have called on their country’s Vice President Kamala Harris to arrange a meeting with her Taiwanese counterpart Lai Ching-te (???) when he makes a stopover in the U.S. in August.
“Meeting with Vice President Lai would underscore the importance America affixes to the U.S.-Taiwan friendship and make it clear that Beijing’s meddling in American foreign policy is unwelcome,” the six congressmen said in a letter to Harris dated July 26.
The letter did not specify how Beijing has been meddling in U.S. foreign policy, but it was likely referring to China’s warning against Lai’s planned transit in the U.S. en route to Paraguay next month. Lai, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s 2024 presidential candidate, will travel to Asunci?n to attend the inauguration of Paraguay President-elect Santiago Pe?a on Aug. 15.
While both Taipei and Washington have confirmed that Lai would make stopovers in the U.S. on his way to and from South America, neither side had disclosed when and in which cities he would be transiting.
According to the congressmen’s letter, a meeting between Harris and Lai would also “help Taiwan cement its remaining diplomatic partnerships and demonstrate that the Biden administration will not cower in the face of increasing Chinese belligerence and bullying.”
A copy of the letter has been shared on social media by Tom Tiffany, one of the six signatories, the others being Andrew Ogles, Byron Donalds, Buddy Carter, Scott Perry and Scott DesJarlais, all Republicans.
The letter also called out Beijing for trying to “provoke a conflict in the Taiwan Strait” and engage in “dollar diplomacy” to poach the diplomatic allies of the Republic of China (Taiwan), actions that it said were “unacceptable.”
China has been protesting against Lai’s planned stopovers, with its ambassador to Washington Xie Feng (??) saying last week that Beijing’s “top priority” was to stop Lai from transiting in the U.S.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, however, has said that allowing Taiwanese leaders to transit in the U.S. had been a “routine” practice and there is no reason for Beijing to use the issue as “a pretext for provocative action.”
Lai has transited the U.S. before in his capacity as vice president, and he met Harris briefly at the inauguration of Honduran President Xiomara Castro in January 2022, 14 months before that country switched diplomatic allegiance from Taipei to Beijing, leaving Taiwan with 13 allies worldwide.
Lai’s party, which has been described by Beijing as a “separatist” force, is currently leading in most of the polls ahead of the Jan. 13, 2024 presidential election.
