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By John Feng
China Editor
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President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan told a group of U.S. lawmakers—the largest delegation to visit the island in years—that her country wouldn't "bow to pressure or coercion" as China protested the latest trip by members of Congress.
The Taiwanese leader thanked the congressional delegation, or CODEL, for traveling "not long after China's prolonged military exercises in the area," referring to a week of unprecedented drills that included the firing of Chinese ballistic missiles over the democratic island for the first time.
"We will defend our democratic institutions and way of life. Taiwan will not back down. We will further deepen our cooperation with our democratic partners to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the region," Tsai told the CODEL led by Florida Democrat Rep. Stephanie Murphy.
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Beijing claims the island as its own, but the Taiwanese public has shown declining interest in a political union with its neighbor across the Taiwan Strait. China's foreign ministry previously said the recent war games were a response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's high-profile visit to Taipei on August 2 and 3.
Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular briefing on Thursday that China "deplores and firmly rejects" the latest visit by eight U.S. lawmakers, the largest ever from the House of Representatives.
Mao accused the U.S. of reneging on a commitment to maintain "only non-official ties with the Taiwan region." At the time of Pelosi's trip, however, the White House argued it had no authority over the co-equal legislative branch.
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In her own remarks in Taipei, Murphy, vice chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations, said her CODEL was "a symbol of Congress's rock-solid commitment to Taiwan."
"This message is especially strong coming from Congress, which is a co-equal branch of the American government with the power to craft legislation and policy that often remains in place across multiple presidential administrations," she said.
Murphy said Congress should push for a "high-quality free trade agreement" with Taiwan and deepen economic engagement. "In all, I'm greatly optimistic about the direction our relationship is heading, and particularly in the congressional support for deep and sustained ties," she said.
Taiwan traditionally enjoys strong bipartisan support in Congress. At least 28 U.S. lawmakers—and over a dozen former U.S. officials—have visited the island this year alone, the highest number in a decade.
Murphy's CODEL includes Hawaii Democrat Rep. Kaiali'i Kahele, as well as Republican Reps. Scott Franklin of Florida, Joe Wilson of South Carolina, Andy Barr of Kentucky, Darrell Issa of California, Claudia Tenney of New York, and Kat Cammack of Florida.
Taiwan's semi-official Central News Agency said the group met with members of the island's Foreign and National Defense Committee for about 40 minutes on Thursday. The CODEL was due to depart on Friday.
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