The senior senator of the United States visits Taiwan, he calls it

Taipei – The head of the United States Senate Armed Services Committee said Friday that it was determined that the United States and Taiwan are still “best friends”, calling the Democratic Island claimed by China as a “free country”, while visiting another US legislator.

Republican senators Roger Wicker and Deb Fischer arrived in Taipei on Friday for a two -day visit, while President Trump seeks to reach a commercial agreement with China, who insists that Taiwan is part of their territory and has threatened to use force to annex it.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its position for a long time in a statement issued on Friday when US senators arrived in Taipei, saying that it firmly opposed any official exchange between the United States and Taiwan.

“We come here from the United States bringing a message from the Congress of Commitment, of Long Term Friendship and a determination that a free country like Taiwan has absolutely the right to remain free and preserve self-determination,” Wicker said during a press conference along with President Lai Ching-Te de Taiwan in the presidential office, as shown in the video published by the Reuters news agency.

The China Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for reaction News themezone to the language used by Wicker to describe Taiwan.

Before Wicker spoke in Taipei, the ministry spokesman, Guo Jiakun, described the visit of the US delegation “a serious violation” of the principle of a China, an American policy adopted decades ago that recognizes Taiwan as part of China.

Guo emphasized Beijing’s position that there is only one China, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. He demanded that the United States meet the principle of a China and stop “interfering with China’s internal affairs under any pretext.”

Wicker, who presides over the powerful armed services committee and is a vocal supporter of Taiwan, said he and Fischer were visiting to better understand Taiwan’s needs, and wanted to reiterate Taiwan “our determination to remain the best friends and defend the freedom of all and both great countries.”

“It is our determination and our intention that Taiwan remains free and makes his own decisions,” Wicker said after his conversations with Lai. “Part of the maintenance of the freedoms we have is militarily improved cooperation, greater cooperation with our industrial defense base, making the best use of those funds.”

Since Trump returned to the White House in January, there has been Cultivate nerves in Taipei About the force of the United Taiwan relationship and Washington’s will to defend the island if China will attack.

Fischer said that the United States Senate understands “the seriousness of the challenges facing Taiwan” and that a stronger “taiwan means a stronger United States and vice versa.”

While the United States stopped recognizing Taiwan as an independent state in the late 1970 defend against any theoretical attack by China.

That support has become increasingly crucial for Taiwan in recent years, since China’s president Xi Jinping promised to put the island under Beijing’s control. China has increased Military pressure with large -scale exercises and routine flights and naval excursions that try the limits of the air and the sea of ​​the Democratic Island.

Before the meeting with Wicker and Fischer, Lai said he hoped that Taiwan and the United States “improve cooperation further” and insisted that the island and China were not “subordinated” with each other.

Wicker and Fischer have been traveling in the Asia and Pacific region during the past week, stopping in Hawaii, Guam, Palau and the Philippines.

The American ties of Taiwan have tensioned since Trump assumed office and launched a global commercial war and pressed governments in Europe and other places to spend more on his own defense.

According to the reports, the Trump administration denied permission to transit Lai in New York as part of an official trip planned to Latin America this month after Beijing opposed. According to the reports, Lai canceled the trip.

Taiwan is also struggling to finish a rate agreement with the United States after Washington imposed a temporary tax of 20% that has alarmed manufacturers of the island dependent on export.

As these negotiations continue, the LAI government has announced plans to increase defense spending to more than 3% of GDP next year and 5% by 2030.

• Taiwan
• War
• Xi Jinping
• Donald Trump
• Porcelain
• Beijing
• Asia