US Senator lands in Taiwan defying China's warnings; avers 'Xi Jinping doesn’t scare me'

Nearly three weeks after unprecedented tension between Taiwan and China, a delegation of US House and Senate members arrived in Taipei on Thursday. The delegation was led by Senator Marsha Blackburn-- a Republican from Tennessee and the second top US official who landed in Taipei after US Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit earlier this month. Blackburn reached Taipei late Thursday after completing his tour to the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. "I just landed in Taiwan to send a message to Beijing — we will not be bullied," Blackburn said in a tweet on Friday morning.

In a subsequent tweet, she said that the Biden administration remains steadfast in preserving freedom around the globe, and added it will not tolerate "efforts to undermine our nation and our allies." During her three-day visit, she is scheduled to meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and the head of the National Security Council. It is crucial to note that the Chinese government warned Taiwan of a dramatic situation for allowing Pelosi to land in Taipei. It had sent 27 aircraft to Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) hours after Pelosi's plane left the national capital.

Taiwan considers China's action 'an excuse to invade Taipei'

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying called Pelosi's visit "unhealthy" for "democracy" and added her visit only provoked and violated China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. However, Pelosi issued a statement describing her tour as a "strong statement that America stands with Taiwan." She said that her visit is part of broader travels in the Indo-Pacific, focused on security, prosperity and governance - on which Taiwan is a global leader. However, China has started provocative military drills in the seas and airspace around Taiwan. Taiwanese Foreign Minister called China's actions "unnecessary"  and "an excuse to invade Taipei".

Taiwan-China tensions

Notably, the tensions between Taipei and Beijing are not new. Taiwan had split from China during the civil war that brought Mao Zedong's Communist Party to power and established the People's Republic of China in 1949. While the Communist Party took control of the Chinese mainland in 1949, the Kuomintang-ruled government of the erstwhile Republic of China set up its government in Taiwan (officially called the Republic of China).  Although the regions have been governed separately for more than seven decades, the Communist Party continues to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. Beijing has, on several occasions, stepped up military exercises around self-ruled Taiwan, which it considers its own territory under the One China policy. 

Image: Twitter/@MarshaBlackburn