Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee visited Taiwan on Thursday amid fear of an imminent Chinese invasion, The Washington Post reported.
“Taiwan is our strongest partner in the Indo-Pacific Region. Regular high-level visits to Taipei are long-standing U.S. policy,” Blackburn said. “I will not be bullied by Communist China into turning my back on the island.”
Blackburn, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Commerce committees, joins GOP senate colleague Rick Scott of Florida and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as the latest member of Congress to visit the island.
A delegation of five House and Senate members led by Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., also recently made the trip, according to Reuters.
“Members of Congress and elected officials have gone to Taiwan for decades and will continue to do so, and this is in line with our long-standing One China policy,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson stated.
The Taiwanese foreign ministry said Blackburn would meet President Tsai Ing-wen, top security official Wellington Koo, and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu during her trip, which ends this weekend.
“The two sides will exchange views extensively on issues such as Taiwan-U.S. security and economic and trade relations,” the ministry stated.
Via Newsmax