The governor of Indiana arrived in Taipei on Sunday, becoming the most recent American official to do so in defiance of Chinese pressure to forbid such visits. Governor Eric Holcomb tweeted that he would also be travelling to South Korea, despite Taiwan’s presidential office reporting that he would meet President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday morning.
As the most recent American official to travel to Taiwan, the governor of Indiana arrived in Taipei on Sunday, defying Chinese pressure to prevent such trips. Since U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s two-day trip to Taiwan earlier this month, China has been conducting war games and drills close to Taiwan.
China, which claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its territory despite the strong objections of the Taipei government, has been performing these exercises.
The second delegation of US lawmakers visited Taiwan last week. While Taiwan’s presidential office reported that he would meet President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday morning, Governor Eric Holcomb tweeted that he would also be travelling to South Korea.
In a tweet, Holcomb said, “I’m energised to spend this week establishing new connections, preserving old ones, and strengthening key sector partnerships with Taiwan and South Korea.
He referred to his trip to Taiwan and South Korea as an “economic development trip”. He claimed that he was the first American governor to visit Taiwan following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic more than two years ago.
In order to further develop Indiana’s economic, academic, and cultural ties with Taiwan and South Korea, our delegation will spend this week meeting with governmental representatives, business executives, and educational institutions, Holcomb tweeted.
China’s reaction to his arrival was nonexistent right away. The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry stated that Holcomb would sign a number of trade and technology memorandums of understanding and meet with representatives from Taiwanese semiconductor companies.
Still, it did not provide any additional information. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC) (2330. TW), the world’s largest manufacturer of contact chips, is based in Taiwan and is currently constructing a $12 billion plant in Arizona, in the United States.
Any matter pertaining to the island is seen as an internal matter by China, which claims that Taiwan is the most significant and delicate matter in its relations with the United States.
According to the government of Taiwan, only the 23 million people who live there can decide the island’s future because the People’s Republic of China has no legal authority to claim it.
After all, it has never ruled it. Despite being less extensive than the war games held right after Pelosi’s visit—the highest level U.S. official to make a trip in decades—China has continued its military exercises near Taiwan.
By Harsha Josephine Antony | On Sun 21 Aug 2022 | 9.15 pm IST |
