US lawmakers traveled to Taiwan on the heels of Pelosi’s visit

A bipartisan congressional delegation led by Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Ed Markey (D., Mass.) is expected to spend two days on the island to consult with top Taiwanese government and private sector leaders on the US-Taiwan issue. Communication, regional security, global supply chain and climate change.

Mr. Markey, a spokesman for the delegation, said the delegation would reaffirm the United States’ support for Taiwan and that the lawmakers would “promote stability and peace on Taiwan’s shores.”

Taiwan’s presidential office said the lawmakers would meet with Ms. Chi on Monday. “At a time when China is escalating regional tensions, the US Congress has reorganized a heavyweight delegation and visited Taiwan to show its friendship without fearing China’s threats. Joseph Wu.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, objected to the visit, saying the United States “has made no effort to create a conflict between Beijing and Taipei.”

“In response to the provocation of the United States, China will take decisive countermeasures,” Mr. Liu said.

The trip is among a series of events that have raised tensions with the United States’ commitment to limit ties with Taiwan as part of China’s goal of forging a political union with the island. It was unclear whether Mr Markey’s trip was coordinated with the US House Speaker’s office or the Biden administration.

The National Security Council, which advises the White House on foreign policy and national security issues, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A person familiar with the matter said the trip had been planned for months, and that China’s exercise following Ms. Pelosi’s trip did not interfere with lawmakers’ plans. President Biden had not spoken to Ms. Pelosi before her trip, an official said earlier.

The first stop of the trip was South Korea, although members of the US House of Representatives missed part of the trip due to last week’s armistice vote.

The visit came after Mrs. Pelosi spent two days in Taiwan as part of an Asia tour that drew angry reactions from Beijing both before and after. Ms Pelosi, who has been a vocal critic of China’s human rights record, became the first senior US politician to visit the island in more than 25 years.

Beijing responded to Ms. Pelosi’s trip by firing missiles at Taiwan, sending warships along the median line of the Taiwan Strait and conducting several days of military exercises near the island, feigning a blockade of Taiwan. Beijing has pulled out of climate talks with the US and cut some military-to-military ties with the Pentagon.

The Chinese Communist Party considers Taiwan a part of China and has vowed to take control of the democratically self-governing island by force if necessary. Ties between Taipei and Washington have been strained in recent years, raising concerns in China.

Chinese insiders say Ms. Pelosi’s visit could create a “domino effect” of other world politicians traveling to Taipei, raising its global profile and prompting Beijing to officially declare independence.

Beijing announced on Wednesday that it was ending the drills around Taiwan, but said it would continue regular patrols off Taiwan’s coast. On Friday, White House China Coordinator Kurt Campbell said the US would similarly send ships into the sea.

“Consistent with our longstanding commitment to freedom of movement, we will continue to fly, sail and move wherever international law allows,” he said.

In addition to Mr. Markey, Sunday’s delegation includes House members John Garamendi (D., Calif.), Alan Lowenthal (D., Calif.), Don Beyer (D., Virginia) and Amua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R. American Samoa).

US lawmakers have traveled to Taiwan several times in the past year. Democratic Sen. Bob Mendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and senior Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham made a surprise visit to the island in April. Shortly after his return, he proposed a new law, the Taiwan Policy Act, aimed at further strengthening defense ties with Taipei.

The bill, which has bipartisan support, would give Taiwan nearly $4.5 billion in security aid over the next four years and give the island more, citing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a non-major NATO ally. Defense and security benefits for the island.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said on Sunday that 28 Chinese aircraft and ships conducted maneuvers in the vicinity of Taiwan, 11 of which crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait.

News of Mr Markey’s visit hit the hottest topics on Chinese Twitter-like social media site Weibo on Sunday night. While most users expressed support for Beijing’s stance on Taiwan, some said the congressional delegation’s visit showed China was too tolerant of Ms. Pelosi’s visit.

— Yuka Hayashi contributed to this article.

Write Lisa Lin at Liza.Lin@wsj.com, Joyu Wang at joyu.wang@wsj.com and Natalie Andrews at Natalie.Andrews@wsj.com