Senator's arrival marks August's 3rd US congressional Taiwan visit

Washington, Aug 26

US Senator Marsha Blackburn arrived in Taiwan for a for surprise visit marking the third American Congressional delegation visit to the island this month amid rising tensions with China, Taipei's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou said on Friday.

Contrary to earlier reports, Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, arrived late Thursday night unaccompanied by other members of Congress, reports dpa news agency.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry expressed appreciation to the US for its show of support amid rising regional tension and growing pressure from China.

It said that Blackburn's visit will help strengthen the Taiwan-US partnership.

Upon her arrival at the Taipei Songshan Airport, Blackburn was greeted by a senior Foreign Ministry official, Douglas Yu-tien Hsu.

On Friday morning, President Tsai Ing-wen received Blackburn, the state-run Central News Agency said.

During her stay, Blackburn will conduct discussions on issues including Taiwan-US security and trade relations with Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo, the Foreign Ministry said.

The American Institute in Taiwan said that Blackburn "will visit Taiwan from August 25-27, 2022, as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region.

"Senator Blackburn will meet with senior Taiwan leaders to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, Taiwan in the international community, and other significant issues of mutual interest," it added.

The arrival of Blackburn comes after recent visits by top US officials like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on August 2 and Senator Ed Markey on August 14, both of which drew ire from Beijing.

The Chinese military staged large-scale manoeuvres around Taiwan in response to Pelosi's visit to the island.

Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949, but China considers the democratic island part of its territory and opposes any form of official contacts between Taipei and other countries.