U.S. delegation sent by President Biden arrives in Taiwan
ROC Central News Agency
03/01/2022 04:41 PM
Taipei, March 1 (CNA) An American delegation, led by former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen, arrived in Taipei on Tuesday afternoon for discussions with top-level Taiwan officials on regional peace and security, among other topics.
The delegation, which includes four other former American defense and security officials and their staffers, departed for Taiwan on a United States government aircraft on Monday and arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport at 4:13 p.m.
On arrival, they were greeted by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).
At a press briefing earlier in the day, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesperson Joanne Ou (歐江安) said the Taiwan government warmly welcomed the two-day visit by the delegation, which was sent by U.S. President Joe Biden in reflection of his country's rock-solid commitment to Taiwan amid the unfolding Ukraine crisis.
Led by Mullen, the delegation includes Meghan O'Sullivan, a former deputy national security under President George W. Bush; and Michele Flournoy, a former Under Secretary of Defense in President Barack Obama's administration.
Their visit came days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in the displacement of 368,000 Ukrainians, mostly women and children, to neighboring countries, according to United Nations data.
The American delegation is scheduled to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) on Wednesday to discuss regional peace and stability, Taiwan-U.S. relations, and various areas of bilateral cooperation, the Taiwan government said.
The former U.S. officials will also meet with Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and other top-level officials during the two-day visit, the government said.
The visit by the U.S. delegation underlines "the importance of Taiwan-U.S. relations," "Taiwan's important status," "the U.S.' emphasis on regional peace, and its firm support for Taiwan," Su told reporters Tuesday morning, ahead of a legislative meeting.
According to a Reuters report, a senior official in the Biden administration, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the trip is intended to "demonstrate our continued robust support for Taiwan." The official, however, declined to say whether the timing of the visit was influenced by Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Reuters said.
Meanwhile, a Taiwanese national security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told CNA on Monday that Biden's selection of former senior defense and security officials on the delegation was meant to offer "reassurance" of the U.S.' commitment to peace and security in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region.
Furthermore, the visit, which comes less than one year after Biden sent a delegation to Taiwan, led by Senator Christopher Dodd, suggests that Washington might be seeking a new approach for fast and effective official contact with Taipei, on top of the existing communication mechanisms, the official said.
Chieh Chung (揭仲), an associate research fellow at the National Policy Foundation in Taipei, predicted that the discussions between the American delegation and Taiwanese officials are likely to cover "new topics" rather than just regular or existing projects.
The delegation might offer advice on Taiwan's national defense policy, army building, and overall security improvement, during the visit, which is meant to demonstrate the U.S.' desire to maintain stability in the Taiwan Strait, Chieh said.
(By Matt Yu and Teng Pei-ju)
Enditem/pc
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