TAIPEI (Reuters) – A delegation of Taiwanese lawmakers led by the speaker of parliament will attend the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president, the presidential office said on Wednesday, adding that the government will continue to strengthen ties with the new administration.
Taiwan, which China considers its own territory, enjoyed strong support from the first Trump administration, including regulation of arms sales that continued under President Joe Biden, but Trump alarmed Taiwan during the election campaign by calling for it to pay for its defense. .
Taiwan's presidential office said Parliament Speaker Han Kuo-yu, a senior member of the opposition Kuomintang party who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020, will lead the group to the inauguration ceremony, accompanied by a cross-party delegation that includes seven other lawmakers.
The Taiwanese presidential office said the group, which departs on Saturday to attend Monday's ceremony, will meet with US dignitaries, research centers and academics, without providing details.
“Relations between Taiwan and the United States have a long history, and the two sides have made great progress in recent years,” she said in a statement.
“The government especially congratulates President Trump on his inauguration, and will continue to promote Taiwan-US relations in the future on the basis of trust and existing good mutual interaction.”
Together, the Kuomintang and the small Taiwan People's Party hold a majority of seats in parliament. The Kuomintang traditionally supports close relations and dialogue with China, but denies its support for Beijing.
China has not yet announced who it will send to attend the inauguration ceremony.
The United States, like most countries, has no official relations with Taiwan but is obligated by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
Taiwan's democratically elected government rejects Beijing's claims of sovereignty, saying only the island's people can decide their future.
China refuses to talk to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, saying he is a “separatist.”
