Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

The Pelosi effect: foreign delegations queue up to visit Taiwan in defiance of China

The Pelosi effect: foreign delegations queue up to visit Taiwan in defiance of China

Since the US speaker’s visit, groups from the US, Japan and Lithuania have arrived in Taipei, vowing they won’t be bullied by Beijing – and more are coming

Late on Thursday evening a US air force plane touched down at Taiwan’s Songshan airport. Unannounced, it attracted a fraction of the fanfare that greeted the plane carrying US speaker Nancy Pelosi three weeks earlier, but was still broadcast live on television. Traveling solo, senator Marsha Blackburn stepped onto the dark tarmac where she was met by a foreign ministry official, and they quickly moved inside the terminal.

“I just landed in Taiwan to send a message to Beijing – we will not be bullied,” Blackburn tweeted.

The solo visit by Blackburn was the fourth US delegation to Taiwan since Pelosi’s landmark visit, coming a few days after Indiana governor Eric Holcomb and a cross-party Japanese delegation, and just weeks after an 11-member delegation from Lithuania.

Shortly before his arrival, Keiji Furuya, a member of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic party, tweeted: “China’s military provocations and other erratic behaviour pose a risk to the peace and safety of not only Taiwan, but east Asia as a whole.”

The run of foreign dignitaries visiting Taiwan has kept attention on the island in the wake of Pelosi’s trip and continued to draw vituperation from Beijing. Taiwan’s government has welcomed them all, grateful for the international support and solidarity against the Chinese government’s threats to annex it by force.

US senator Marsha Blackburn exchange gifts with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen


“These warm acts of kindness and firm demonstrations of support have reinforced Taiwan’s determination to defend itself,” said Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, at a formal meeting with Blackburn on Friday.

The Pelosi visit in early August sparked a furious reaction from Beijing, which quickly announced an unprecedented run of live-fire military drills encircling Taiwan’s main island. It targeted Taiwan with missile tests, median line incursions by hundreds of warplanes and ships, disinformation and cyber attacks, and blockade-style interruptions of Taiwanese shipping ports and aerial traffic. Beijing’s moves have created a more hostile “new normal” in the strait, but they have not deterred Taiwan, or its allies.


Symbolism over substance?


On Friday Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, said the military exercises “will not stop Taiwan from seeking support internationally”. “What China wants to do is cut Taiwan off from international connections, so if one day it attacks Taiwan, there will be no support for Taiwan,” he said.

But with China ratcheting up aggression and shifting the goalposts on the tentative status quo in the Taiwan Strait, analysts have warned foreign allies must quickly close the gap between these symbolic acts and the substantive support needed to actually ensure Taiwan’s security.

“A lot of what’s happening is symbolic. I don’t want to suggest it’s not important – it can have substantive effect,” said Raymond Kuo, a political scientist at the Rand Corporation.

“But in terms of Taiwan’s ability to defend itself [and] diversify its economic ties away from China … those policies haven’t been put in place yet. They’re coming down the pipe which is positive, and I think China’s action has spurred on unity in Congress and support from other countries.”

China’s ministry of foreign affairs accused the foreign delegations of violating its domestic “one China” policy, and threatened undefined “resolute and forceful measures” in response. Analysts have debated whether the visits are needlessly exacerbating tensions. But they continue; parliamentarians from the UK, Germany, Denmark, Canada and Australia are reportedly planning trips to Taipei.

A phone survey taken as the drills were under way found 53.7% of Taiwanese people felt Pelosi’s visit to Taipei benefited US-Taiwan relations, Newsweek reported. More than 64% felt Taiwan couldn’t defend against a Chinese invasion without international help.

Amanda Hsiao, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said there would be more symbolic visits as western politicians “increasingly view a visit to Taiwan as an opportunity to signal their anti-China bona fides for domestic political reasons”.

But Kuo says the fact both sides of Congress are now largely united over Taiwan will have tangible benefit for Taiwan when it comes to passing supporting legislation.

As China’s drills drew to an end, the US announced the beginning of bilateral trade talks with Taiwan, which Washington’s assistant secretary of state for east Asia, Daniel Kritenbrink, said would provide “an opportunity to assist Taiwan in building its resilience, and ensuring … supply chains”. . Other trade deals have been signed on the sidelines of visits.

Wu said the trade talks were “exactly what Taiwan needs”. But it also needs more weapons.

Wu is adamant that Taiwan can’t expect other nations to come to its aid if it isn’t prepared to defend itself. This week the defence ministry announced a budget increase of almost 14%.

More visits are coming. This week a Canadian parliamentary “friendship group” said it was planning to visit in October, prompting renewed threats from Beijing.

Wu said Taiwan would not “bow to pressure” from China and neither should foreign visitors.

“We will not stop making friends just because of the Chinese threat to Taiwan,” he said. “There are more people than ever who want to come and show their support for Taiwan. I can tell you there will be more.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Trump Administration Seeks to Repurpose $4.9 Billion in Foreign Aid
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: “The Current Welfare State Can No Longer Be Financed”
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
Wizz Air passengers screamed as storm-battered flight diverts to Bologna
European postal services halt U.S. deliveries after Trump imposes new tariffs
Urban explorer finds abandoned luxury restaurant left to decay
Fidesz leader labels Péter Magyar a ‘bluffer’ amid escalating political spat
French rope park operator arrested for denying entry to Israeli children
Újpest thrashes Zalaegerszeg 4-1 to secure first win in five matches
Profit-margin cap costs retailers 13 billion forints a month, warns trade group
Curiosity rover finds coral-like rock on Mars hinting at watery past
U.S. green policy rollback drives investors to Europe’s sustainable finance market
Special funerals rise in Hungary: boat, aerial and forest burials gain popularity
Hungary’s Kiskunság region turning into semi-desert after extreme drought
Kopasz Bálint wins world kayak 1000 m title in Milan, making him triple world champion
Budapest’s Keleti railway station to close for four weeks for track overhaul
Balaton could be unfit for swimming by 2035 and dry by 2050, scientists warn
Leaked guidelines show Meta’s AI allowed flirty and racist interactions with children
Filming of ‘Emily in Paris’ halted after assistant director dies on set
Filipino guest workers sue after Hungary moves to deport them for pregnancy
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
A monster hit and a billion-dollar toy empire
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
×