Unofficial US delegation says support for Taiwan remains ‘rock solid’ after voters defied China

Former senior US officials reaffirmed “rock solid” American support for Taiwan in a visit Monday after the self-ruled island defied threats from China by electing a new president loathed by Beijing.

Lai Ching-te, a staunch defender of Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy, on Saturday won a historic third consecutive term for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), shrugging off warnings from Beijing that his election would increase the risk of conflict.

In keeping with past US practice, the Biden administration dispatched an unofficial delegation to Taiwan following the election to meet the island’s current and incoming presidents. But the US reaction to the election has already sparked an angry response from China.

In a meeting with Taiwan’s incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen Monday, former US national security adviser Stephen Hadley congratulated Taiwan on the elections on behalf of the American people, praising the self-ruled island’s democracy as a “shining example for the world.”

Hadley reaffirmed that “the American commitment to Taiwan is rock solid, principled and bipartisan.”

“We look forward to continuity in the relationship between Taiwan and the United States under the new administration and for common efforts to preserve cross-strait peace and stability,” he said.

Former deputy secretary of state James Steinberg said the delegation traveled to Taiwan to “underscore the US bipartisan support for our long-standing friendship for Taiwan.”

During Tsai’s eight years in office, Taiwan has bolstered its ties with its democratic partners, especially the US, its biggest international backer, which increased support and arms sales to the island.

The delegation also met with Lai and Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim, a well-known figure in Washington after serving as Taiwan’s top envoy to the United States.

In the meeting, Lai called the US “Taiwan’s most important partner,” and expressed gratitude for its long-standing support to the island.

Lai vowed to build on Tsai’s efforts to defend peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. “And we hope that the United States will continue to support Taiwan to deepen our cooperation in this area,” he said.

“I believe that our relationship will continue to flourish as we work together, and it will become an important force in defending peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” he added.

The visit came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday congratulated Lai on his win and Taiwan’s people “for once again demonstrating the strength of their robust democratic system and electoral process.”

In a statement, Blinken said the US looks forward to working with Lai and Taiwan’s leaders of all parties to “advance our shared interests and values, and to further our longstanding unofficial relationship.”

That statement prompted an angry response from Beijing, which views Taiwan as its own territory to be taken by force if necessary.

On Sunday, China’s Foreign Ministry said the statement “seriously violates the one-China principle” and US promises to only maintain cultural, commercial and other unofficial ties with Taiwan.

“It also sends a gravely wrong signal to the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces. We strongly deplore and firmly oppose this, and have made serious representations to the US side,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Chinese embassies in Japan, the United Kingdom and Canada also lashed out at their host countries for congratulating Lai on his victory.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa called Taiwan “an extremely crucial partner and an important friend” in her congratulatory message. The Chinese embassy in Tokyo said it “resolutely opposed” her statement, which it blasted as “a serious interference in China’s internal affairs.”

Taiwan was a Japanese colony for half a century until 1945.

Under Xi Jinping, China’s most powerful leader in a generation, Beijing has ramped up economic, military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan, and severed official communication with Taipei’s government since 2016. Lai’s election is unlikely to lead to a thawing of cross-strait ties any time soon.

Washington cut formal ties with Taiwan in 1979 after switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

Since then, the US has maintained close unofficial ties with Taiwan and is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. But it has long remained deliberately vague on whether it will come to Taiwan’s defense in case of a Chinese attack.

Asked by reporters to comment on Taiwan’s election results Saturday, US President Joe Biden said: “We do not support independence.”