Senator Roger Wicker, from Taipei: 'A stronger Taiwan means a stronger United States and vice versa'
China protested the visit of high-level members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and demanded that Washington "stop interfering" in its "internal affairs" and "abetting and supporting separatist forces."
Roger Wicker on Taiwan
"It is our determination and our intention that Taiwan remain free and make its own decisions," Senator Roger Wicker assured after meeting with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te during his two-day visit to the island nation.
The Republican, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, arrived Friday in Taipei with his party and committee colleague Deb Fischer to reiterate to their hosts "our determination to remain the best of friends and to defend the freedom of everyone and both of our great countries."
China, the island's neighbor, claims Taiwanese territory as its own. Although the United States stopped officially recognizing Taiwan in the 1970s, it remained one of its most important allies, even becoming its main arms supplier.
"Part of maintaining the freedoms that we have is enhanced cooperation militarily, enhanced cooperation with our defence industrial base, making the best use of those funds," Wicker also said Friday, adding that "a stronger Taiwan means a stronger United States and vice versa."
Even before those words of support, as soon as news of his landing was received, the Chinese Communist Party protested the visit: "China firmly opposes any form of official interactions between the U.S. and China’s Taiwan region," Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun maintained in an official transcript.
"There is but one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory," he added before asking Washington to "stop interfering in China’s internal affairs" of his country and "abetting and supporting 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces."
China: a target but not the destination of the Asian tour
"We live in the most dangerous national security moment since World War II," the chairman of the Armed Services Committee assured News Nation, the first media outlet to reveal the itinerary, shortly before embarking on the trip.
"Congress plays a vitally important role in reassuring U.S. allies and partners of our commitment to maintaining a favorable regional order in the Indo-Pacific," he added.
The Nebraska Republican, meanwhile, alluded directly to China: "At a time of global unrest where the Chinese Communist Party continues its military buildup, maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific plays a crucial role in safeguarding our nation’s and our allies’ security."
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