US lawmakers, Nvidia boss visit Taiwan after Chinese drills
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The US State Department has accused China of “military provocations” for staging expansive military exercises around Taiwan.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TAIPEI – A bipartisan delegation of US lawmakers and Nvidia boss Jensen Huang arrived separately in Taiwan on May 26, a day after China ended its biggest military exercise in a year around the island.
The delegation was led by Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
This was the first congressional group to visit Taiwan since the inauguration of President Lai Ching-te on May 20.
Mr Lai is scheduled to meet with the lawmakers on May 27 to discuss peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, Taiwan-US trade relations and other issues, according to a readout from his office.
Also in the group were Republican Representative Young Kim of California; Republican Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina; Democratic Representative Jimmy Panetta of California; Republican Representative Andy Barr of Kentucky; and Democratic Representative Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania.
The US State Department on May 25 accused China of “military provocations”
Meanwhile, Nvidia’s Mr Huang landed in Taipei in the evening on May 26, local cable news station TVBS reported.
He is expected to make public appearances in an upcoming tech expo in Taipei.
Mr Huang has frequently mentioned the critical role Taiwan plays in the global artificial intelligence supply chain, as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co makes the bulk of the world’s cutting-edge chips, including those designed by Nvidia.
“Taiwan is at the epicentre of the world’s technology supply chain,” Mr Huang said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on May 20. “The technology industry depends very heavily on Taiwan and will continue to for some time.” BLOOMBERG
