The United States will send a two-member bi-partisan unofficial delegation to Taiwan for the inauguration of Lai Ching-te to the highest office in Taiwan. Ching-te also known as William Lai will replace his own party’s (Democratic Progressive Party or DPP) Tsai Ing-wen as the President of Taiwan on Monday. The Harvard Master’s degree holder is the third Vice-President to be elected to the highest office in the country. William Lai calls himself a ‘pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence’ and has been called ‘dangerous separatist’ by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
The United States on its part will send a delegation comprising of Richard Armitage, former Secretary of State in the George W Bush administration and Brian Deese, former National Economic Council director under the incumbent U.S. disposition. Sending former officials to Taiwan or the Republic of China (ROC) has been a U.S. practice for well over two decades. During a visit to China last month, U.S. Secretary of State Atony Blinken had asked Beijing to avoid provocative measures during Lai’s swearing-in ceremony.
This will be the second delegation that the Biden administration will be sending to Taiwan after elections were held, the first delegation comprising of Stephen Hadley, and James Steinberg, former Deputy Secretary of State in the Obama administration, was sent to the island nation just two days after the election results were declared.
The Chinese, who see Taiwan as a renegade province that will one day be incorporated into the PRC by force, have increased the temperature across the Taiwan Straits by increasing the number of fighter sorties across the median of the Straits this week, including mock attacks on Chinese vessels. Taiwan sees itself as an independent country. The U.S. despite not recognising Taiwan since 1979 is obligated under a law passed the same year to defend Taiwan from an invasion.
Dhruv Yadav
