No. 135
May 30, 2022
United States Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is leading a delegation on a visit to Taiwan from May 30 to June 1. This marks her second trip in less than a year since traveling to Taiwan on a military aircraft with Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Chris Coons (D-DE) for a visit in June 2021. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) warmly welcomes the delegation’s visit.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Ho-jen Tseng met the delegation at the airport on the evening of May 30 on behalf of the government. The delegation will call on President Tsai Ing-wen, Premier Su Tseng-chang, and Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua, and attend a reception hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu. The two sides will exchange in-depth views on important issues in Taiwan-US relations.
Senator Duckworth is a good friend of Taiwan. During a surge in COVID-19 cases last June when Taiwan was in urgent need of vaccines, she made a special trip to Taiwan and announced, on behalf of the US government, a donation of vaccines to support Taiwan’s fight against the pandemic. A member of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, Senator Duckworth has promoted or cosponsored several pro-Taiwan resolutions and items of legislation. On May 26, she introduced the Strengthen Taiwan’s Security Act of 2022, endorsing stronger bilateral coordination in response to Taiwan’s security situation and proposing specific measures to enhance Taiwan’s defense capabilities. Earlier, in mid-May, Senator Duckworth joined 51 other Senators in sending a letter to US President Joe Biden calling for Taiwan’s inclusion in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. She and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) cosponsored the Taiwan Partnership Act last July, encouraging the National Guard of various US states to establish partnership programs with Taiwan’s armed forces. This proposal was incorporated into the US National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, which has since been passed.
Senator Duckworth’s visit to Taiwan within less than two months of the April visit of a prominent Congressional delegation led by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) shows that the US Congress staunchly backs and highly regards Taiwan, underscoring the United States’ rock-solid support and commitment to Taiwan. MOFA firmly believes that Senator Duckworth’s visit will further deepen the close and cooperative partnership between Taiwan and the United States. (E)