US delegation en route Taipei, to meet President Tsai Ing-wen on August 26: Report

A delegation from the US will arrive in Taiwan on the evening of August 25 and will meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, according to Taiwan's official Central News Agency. The media agency reported that a group of US congressmen will fly into Taipei's Songshan Airport late on Thursday.

The delegation will meet with Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan, and other top officials on August 26 in the morning. This would be the third group of American delegation to visit the Chinese-claimed island this month, following Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House, who went there earlier this month.

China staged military drills close to Taiwan in response to Pelosi's visit. China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and has stated that it will use force to unite the two territories if necessary. and has vowed to seize it one day, using force if necessary. Meanwhile, neither Taiwan's foreign ministry nor the de facto US embassy in Taipei has confirmed the reports.

China-Taiwan conflict

Despite defying China, Pelosi's visit was crucial for Taiwan because she is the highest-ranking elected US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years. Her visit, however, has heightened geopolitical tensions between China and the United States, with Beijing conducting large-scale military drills in waters surrounding Taiwan.

Taiwan, on the other hand, has accused China of using Pelosi's visit as an excuse to begin military drills in preparation for an invasion. It conducted its own drills simulating a Chinese invasion of its main island. China has suspended its drills but has stated that it will continue to patrol the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan and the mainland China split during a civil war in 1949. Although US recognises 'one-China policy,' it maintains informal diplomatic, defence, and trade ties with democratic Taiwan. Taiwanese government claims that the People's Republic of China has never ruled the island and thus has no right to claim it, and that only the island's 23 million people can decide its fate.

Image: AP