Biden to Dispatch Delegation After Taiwan Election... Concerns Over US-China Tensions

Dispatch Decision May Backfire
Some Say "Support for Taiwan Democracy"
China Opposes "Official Contact" and Reacts

After the Taiwanese presidential election scheduled for the 13th, the U.S. government will dispatch a high-level delegation to Taiwan.

On the 10th (local time), the Biden administration announced in a briefing that it plans to send an unofficial delegation after the Taiwan election. The purpose of the visit is to explain to the president-elect and other candidates the importance of the strong relationship between the United States and Taiwan. It also warned China not to intervene in the form of military pressure. A senior Biden administration official said, "(The Taiwan) election is a normal and routine democratic process," adding, "If China chooses to apply additional military pressure or coercion, it would be a provocation."

When asked whether China is seen as interfering in the election, the official replied, "It seems no secret that China has a position on the election results and is trying to influence and pressure the election in various ways," but added, "We do not worry that this will affect the election outcome."

The U.S. stated that it has no preferred candidate in this election, saying, "Whoever wins, U.S. policy toward Taiwan will remain the same, and the strong unofficial relationship will continue."

Major foreign media reported that the Biden administration will send a bipartisan delegation composed of former senior officials such as former Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley.

Democratic Progressive Party candidate Lai Ching-te (center), running in the Taiwan presidential election, is campaigning. [Image source=Yonhap News]

This will be the third time the Biden administration sends a delegation to Taiwan. Early in his administration, President Joe Biden dispatched high-level envoys composed of former officials to Taiwan twice. However, sending a high-level delegation immediately after the presidential election, amid the Taiwan election escalating into a U.S.-China proxy conflict, is unusual, and there are concerns that the Chinese government may react negatively.

A former U.S. official expressed concern that the decision to send a high-level delegation to Taiwan immediately after the presidential election could backfire. He said, "Sending a high-level delegation could be seen as embracing Taiwan and may provoke overreactions from China." Another figure also evaluated the delegation dispatch negatively, stating that both China and Taiwan could use the delegation to suit their own interests, which could influence U.S. policy.

However, there are also arguments that it is necessary at this point to demonstrate U.S. support for Taiwan. Bonnie Glaser, a cross-Strait relations expert at the U.S. think tank German Marshall Fund (GMF), said, "It is important to send a message of U.S. support for Taiwan’s democracy and the new president. Bipartisan action like this would be beneficial."

China issued a statement opposing the U.S. delegation dispatch. The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. stated, "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China," and "China opposes any form of official contact between the U.S. and Taiwan." It also emphasized, "The U.S. must adhere to the 'One China' principle, avoid sending wrong signals to forces pushing for 'Taiwan independence,' and refrain from interfering in Taiwan’s election."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.