An officially unofficial U.S. delegation is visiting the country to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act. The delegation consists of three former U.S. officials who either are close to U.S. Presiden Joe Biden or have deep connections with Taiwan. Senator Christopher Dodd, a Democrat who represented Connecticut from 1981 to 2011, worked closely with then Senator Biden in the Committee on Foreign Relations, leads the delegation. The other two delegation members are Richard Armitage and James Steinberg, both of who served as U.S. Deputy Secretary of State. The delegation met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen as well as other top-level officials to discuss the future of U.S.-Taiwan relations.
The visit comes after the U.S. Department of State relaxes its guidelines regulating contact between the U.S. government and Taiwan. U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken also issued a stern warning two days later in a televised interview, supposedly aimed at China, on changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
All I can tell you is we have a serious commitment to Taiwan being able to defend itself. We have a serious commitment to peace and security in the Western Pacific. And in that context, it would be a serious mistake for anyone to try to change that status quo by force.
U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken, April 11, 2021
China, for their part, responded with the usual rhetoric warning the U.S. and Taiwan not to play with fire. China also sent the largest contingent of warplanes to date into Taiwanese air space the day after Blinken’s interview.
Ilha Formosa - Alt om Taiwan 