TAIPEI (REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) - The governor of Indiana arrived in Taipei on Sunday (Aug 21), becoming the latest US official to visit Taiwan and defying pressure from China for such trips not to happen.
China, which claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory despite the Taipei government’s strong objections, has been carrying out war games and drills near Taiwan since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a two-day visit to Taipei earlier this month.
Last week, a second group of US lawmakers visited Taiwan.
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb posted on Twitter that he would also be visiting South Korea, while Taiwan’s presidential office said Mr Holcomb would meet President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday morning.
“I’m energised to spend this week building new relationships, reinforcing long time ones and strengthening key sector partnerships with Taiwan and South Korea,” Mr Holcomb wrote on his Twitter account.
He termed his visit to Taiwan and South Korea as an “economic development trip”, saying he was the first US governor to come to Taiwan since the Covid-19 pandemic began more than two years ago.
“Our delegation will spend this week meeting with government officials, business leaders and academic institutions to further strengthen Indiana’s economic, academic and cultural connections with Taiwan and South Korea,” Mr Holcomb wrote.
There was no immediate response from China to his arrival.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said Mr Holcomb would also meet representatives from Taiwanese semiconductor companies, although it gave no details, and would sign various trade and technology memorandums of understanding.
Taiwan is home to the world’s largest contact chip maker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) , which is building a US$12 billion (S$17 billion) plant in the US state of Arizona.
While a visit from a US governor may in the past have attracted little attention, Mr Holcomb’s comes in the wake of heightened tension between the US and China following Mrs Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan.
China says Taiwan is the most important and sensitive issue in its relations with the United States, and that it considers it an internal issue.
Taiwan’s government says that as the People’s Republic of China has never ruled the island, it has no right to claim it, and that only Taiwan’s 23 million people can decide their future.
China’s military drills have been continuing around Taiwan, though on a smaller scale than immediately after Mrs Pelosi’s trip.
Earlier on Sunday, Taiwan's defence ministry said 12 Chinese aircraft and five Chinese ships were detected operating around the island, including five aircraft that crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, which in normal times acts as an unofficial barrier between the two sides.
The ministry had said that 17 Chinese aircraft and five Chinese ships were detected operating around Taiwan on Saturday, including four aircraft that crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line.
