October 11, 2022
No. 292
Two delegations from the US House of Representatives are visiting Taiwan from October 11 to 13. One delegation comprises Representative Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s Subcommittee on Defense Intelligence and Warfighter Support. The other delegation is led by Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA) and also includes Representative Michael Waltz (R-FL), Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Readiness, and Representative Kai Kahele (D-HI). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) extends a sincere welcome to the four Congressmen.
The delegations include both Democratic and Republican Congressmen and members who serve on key defense and intelligence committees. During their stay in Taiwan, the delegations will jointly call on President Tsai Ing-wen and National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo and attend a reception hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu, engaging in in-depth exchanges of opinions on such matters as Taiwan-US relations, regional security, and economics and trade.
The four visiting Congressmen are important friends of Taiwan in the US Congress. In addition to urging the Biden administration to include Taiwan in the first wave of recipients of COVID-19 vaccine shipments, they have all spoken out strongly for Taiwan, backing Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Organization, Taiwan-US negotiations on a free trade agreement, and Taiwan’s inclusion in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, among numerous other important issues. Furthermore, Representative Wenstrup cointroduced a bill to express the sense of Congress on interoperability with Taiwan, while Representative Moulton cointroduced the bill for the Taiwan Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022, fully demonstrating their concern and support for Taiwan’s security.
Three delegations from the US Congress have now visited Taiwan during October. As China continues to escalate regional tensions, the US Congress’s densely packed schedule of visits once again highlights the strong, bipartisan support for Taiwan on Capitol Hill. This visit will allow the four visiting Congressmen to better understand the current situation in Taiwan and facilitate their continuing support in the US Congress for the deepening of friendly and cooperative Taiwan-US relations across all domains. (E)