August 2, 2022
No. 186
Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is leading a delegation on a visit to Taiwan from August 2 to 3. The group, which arrived on a US government plane, includes Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Mark Takano (D-CA), Chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs; Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Vice Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee; Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Chair of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform; and Representative Andy Kim (D-NJ). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) warmly welcomes the delegation of US Congressional leaders led by Speaker Pelosi. Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu met the delegation at the airport on behalf of the government of Taiwan on the evening of August 2.
Congresswoman Pelosi has served as Speaker of the House of Representatives since 2019, and previously from 2007 to 2011. She is the first and as yet the only woman to hold this position in US history. In her capacity as Speaker, she has often publicly expressed support for Taiwan. Representatives Meeks, Takano, DelBene, Krishnamoorthi, and Kim are all members of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus and have backed multiple Congressional bills, joint letters, and initiatives supportive of Taiwan.
This marks the first visit by a US House Speaker in 25 years since Newt Gingrich (R-GA) came to Taiwan in April 1997. It is also Speaker Pelosi’s first trip to Taiwan in 22 years. The fact that the delegation includes key Congressional leaders from the House Committees on Foreign Affairs, Veterans’ Affairs, and Ways and Means underscores the high level of support for Taiwan-US relations from the US Congress and the wide scope of bilateral cooperation across all fields. The inclusion of Taiwan in the itinerary of Speaker Pelosi’s first Asian tour since the US Congress resumed overseas travel this year fully demonstrates the high regard that the Congress has for Taiwan and once again emphasizes the rock-solid US commitment to Taiwan. The visit by Speaker Pelosi and other prominent members of Congress will enhance the close and cordial relations between Taiwan and the United States and further deepen global cooperation between the two countries across a broad range of areas. (E)