A delegation of US lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on Sunday, led by Democratic Senator Ed Markey and Representatives Alan Lowenthal, Don Beyer and Aumua Amata.
The American Institute in Taiwan - the US' de facto embassy on the island, indicated that the trip was part of the lawmakers' broader trip to Asia, with Markey and his colleagues expected to discuss US-Taiwan ties, security, trade and investment, global supply chains, climate, and other matters.
Taiwan's TVBS News captured footage of the military plane carrying the lawmakers touching down, and indicated that the delegation will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen, Foreign Minister Joseph Woo and other senior officials.
The lawmakers were carried by a United States Air Force Boeing C-40 Clipper, and traveled to Taiwan from an airport west of Tokyo, Japan, according to flight tracking services.
China-US tensions soared late last month after media revealed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who would be third in line for the presidency if something were to happen to Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, was planning to visit Taiwan as part of a regional tour.
The People's Republic considers the island its sovereign territory, and as a territory destined for formal reunification with the mainland under the "One Country - Two Systems" model. China abhors any and all efforts by US officials to meet with Taiwanese officials, deeming them a violation of the One China Policy underpinning China-US relations -which require Washington to refrain from recognizing Taiwan's self-governing status.
The United States pays formal lip service to respecting the One China Policy, but has violated it repeatedly in practice through formal demonstrations such as Pelosi's tour, efforts to include Taiwan at US-hosted diplomatic venues such as last year's "democracy forum," and the provision of billions of dollars in military hardware to Taipei, despite formal commitments made to Beijing not to do so.
The formal purpose of Pelosi's trip to Taiwan is still not entirely clear, with the congresswoman claiming last week that she went to the island to "salute this thriving democracy" and "to say that we have this strong relationship built on the status quo, which we support." During the visit, Pelosi lectured Taiwanese officials on the import "President Benjamin Franklin" placed on freedom and democracy (the US Founding Father never served as president), and offered a word salad about how "freedom and democracy...security, economics, security, economy, and again they're all - and governance" were all related.
China kicked off large-scale drills ringing Taiwan in response to Pelosi's trip, and slapped the lawmaker and her family with personal sanctions. The PRC also froze ties with the US in eight fields, including cooperation on climate change, transnational crime, and military-to-military dialogue.