Taipei [Taiwan], April 20 : Republican Party Senator Pete Ricketts of the US told Taiwanese President William Lai that the US would continue to assist Taiwan with its self-defence and also wants to see peace across the Taiwan Strait without coercion or the threat of force, as reported by the Taipei Times.
According to the Taipei Times, Republican Senator Pete Ricketts in a meeting with Lai at the Presidential Office in Taipei said that although administrations change, bipartisan support for Taiwan in the US Congress has continued.
"The United States is committed to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. We want to see peace across the Taiwan Strait. We oppose any unilateral change in the status of Taiwan," Ricketts said as quoted by Taipei Times.
"We expect any differences between Taiwan and the mainland to be resolved peacefully without coercion or the threat of force," he said. "To that end, the United States will continue to assist Taiwan in its self-defence. There is broad consensus in the US Congress to support Taiwan's self-defence."
Notably, Taiwanese President Lai said that he looked forward towards Taiwan and the US continuing to work together to maintain peace and stability in the region, and that Taiwan was committed to spending more on its defence.
Taipei Times reported that a bipartisan group of American lawmakers are on their first trip to Taiwan under the new administration, thereby aiming to show Taipei and Beijing that Washington's support for Taiwan's defence remains broad, despite the call for tariffs by US President Donald Trump.
Taipei Times further noted that Ricketts is being accompanied by Republican Senator Ted Budd and Democratic Senator Chris Coons.
Despite the tariffs hit, conversations in Taiwan this week were "optimistic and forward-looking," Coons said, adding that he was "optimistic that we're going to see a strong next chapter in US-Taiwan relations."
Notably, this includes assurances from Taiwanese that they are working fast to strike new trade and investment deals that suit the Trump administration.
Taipei Times noted that after seeing the Russia-Ukraine conflict learning from Ukraine's defence against Russia and criticism from Trump, Taiwan also said it is investing fast to make the military stronger, nimbler and less dependent on the US, as the nation's strongest deterrent against China, the US lawmakers said. That includes seeking investment with the US on drone warfare, learning from Ukraine using fleet fighting forces with portable Stingers, the lawmakers said.
The senators made the remarks ahead of talks yesterday with Lai, Minister of National Defence, Wellington Koo and National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu.
Ricketts said Taiwanese leaders had already reached out to US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick for negotiations, moving quickly in the 90-day pause that Trump announced before the US starts enforcing the new tariffs, Taipei Times observed.
Regarding China, Coons said, "Of course, there is the possibility that [Chinese President] Xi Jinping would decide that this is the right time for the Chinese Communist Party to take aggressive action... I think it's exactly the wrong thing for them to do," Coons said. "I think they would find a forceful and united response."
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