US lawmakers may visit Taiwan as tensions with China surge over spy balloon row

The US House of Representatives Select Committee on China is reportedly weighing the potential consequences of sending a congressional delegation to Taiwan, despite being aware that such a move could provoke a strong reaction from Beijing, according to a report from Nikkei. Rob Wittman, a Congressman from Virginia and member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the US and the Chinese Communist Party, said that some members of the committee are considering a trip to Taiwan as a display of support. He acknowledged that this would upset China, which sees Taiwan as part of its own territory. However, Wittman feels it is important to show that the US is standing with Taiwan, and sending a strong message.

The recently established US Congressional Committee on China intends to address the challenges posed by Beijing in various areas, including national security, trade, and the economy. The committee's chairman, Wittman, has mentioned the possibility of holding a field hearing in Taiwan if the trip takes place. This comes after reports of the new House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, potentially visiting Taiwan as early as this spring. China's Foreign Ministry has warned the US against such actions and called for the US to abide by the One China principle. However, McCarthy has stated that China cannot dictate where he can travel.

Soaring tensions between US and China

Relations between the United States and China have grown increasingly strained since August last year, when the US Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan. China didn't react to this well. Beijing viewed the visit as a threat to its sovereignty and responded by criticizing it as "extremely dangerous".  According to China's One China policy, Taiwan is considered a sovereign Chinese territory. The island has been governed by nationalists since 1949, when they escaped to Taiwan with US assistance after losing the Chinese Civil War to the communists. If Speaker Kevin McArthy does indeed go ahead with his trip to Taiwan this spring, it would mean that China's overreaction only emboldened the US. What was done to deter the US from interacting with Taiwan, it seems, has only ended up bolstering US' commitment to Taiwan.