Leaders of the US Congress expressed their support for the president of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, while Washington rejected Beijing's criticism of the Taiwanese president's stops in US territory.
The United States has rejected Chinese objections to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's stops in Hawaii and Guam during a tour of the Pacific, reaffirming that transits through its territory by Taiwan's democratically elected leaders are routine and consistent with long-standing American bipartisan politics.
Amid criticism from China, the president of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, and Democrat Nancy Pelosi, former Democratic president of that body, spoke separately with Lai, underlining the firm support of the United States for Taiwan.
Johnson had a call Wednesday afternoon with Lai, who had recently arrived in Guam after a visit to Taiwan's Pacific ally, Tuvalu, they confirmed to the Voice of America sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
First call
The telephone conversation marked the first direct dialogue between the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Lai since the latter took office in May. Johnson had previously congratulated Lai on his election in January and renewed the United States' commitment to the security and democracy of its Indo-Pacific partners.
Lai arrived in Guam on Wednesday night for a brief stopover and is scheduled to depart Thursday afternoon for Palau, the last stop on his weeklong tour of the Pacific. The trip, which began Nov. 30, also included visits to Hawaii and the Marshall Islands. This is Lai's first overseas trip as president.
VOA has contacted Johnson's office for comment.
Washington bipartisan politics
“All of Taiwan's democratically elected presidents have passed through the United States,” a State Department spokesperson told the VOA this week.
Guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three US-China Joint Communiqués and the Six Assurances, the spokesperson added that US policy towards Taiwan has remained constant across different administrations for 45 years.
Senior U.S. officials have also noted that these documents — the foundations of Washington's “One China” policy — do not contain any language that explicitly prohibits a Taiwanese president from stopping in an American city.
Beijing opposition
However, Beijing accused Washington of interfering in what it calls its “internal affairs.”
Chinese officials said they “firmly oppose” any form of official interaction between the US and Taiwan, which it considers a renegade province.
“Nothing will deter China from defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters this week.
Taiwan has said China's threats about Lai's visit are counterproductive.
Seeking support from the US
Lai's trips to Hawaii and Guam come as he seeks to gain support from the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has said Taiwan should pay for American protection.
In a closed-door speech at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Lai expressed Taiwan's commitment to deepening cooperation with the US and contributing to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
He Trump nominee for Secretary of StateRepublican Senator Marco Rubio, a prominent critic of China, has sponsored legislation supporting high-level visits by Taiwanese officials to the US and advocating for a stronger US policy towards Taiwan amid growing military and diplomatic pressure. China.
When the VOA Asked if he would maintain his support for Taiwan, Rubio said: “The president sets foreign policy, and our job at the State Department will be to execute it.”
Despite facing sanctions from China, Rubio expressed his confidence in finding solutions to dialogue with Beijing if his mandate is confirmed.
Restrictions on Washington
Under the State Department's long-standing self-imposed restrictions, a stop in the capital by a sitting Taiwanese president is considered highly provocative for Beijing.
No sitting Taiwanese president, vice president, prime minister, or foreign and defense minister has visited Washington for formal meetings while in office.
“I know there are some diplomatic rules related to the visit of Taiwanese leaders to the United States,” he told the VOA Republican Representative Andy Barr, member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“I think we need to remove any of those impediments. “I think President Lai should be able to come to the United States and we should welcome him.”
The People's Republic of China, led by the Communist Party, has never governed Taiwan, but claims sovereignty over autonomous democracy.
The United States has “recognised” but never endorsed China’s claim to sovereignty over Taiwan.
Washington maintains a “One China” policy distinct from Beijing's One China principle, and does not take an official position on Taiwan's sovereignty or support its independence.
(With contributions from VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson and Mandarin Service Reporter Yihua Lee)