TAIPEI (Reuters) – Three U.S. senators are visiting Taiwan this week and will have talks with senior Taiwanese leaders to discuss issues including trade, the de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei said on Wednesday, as Taipei pushes ahead with tariff talks with Washington.
The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties.
Taiwan, which had been due to be hit with 32% tariffs as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s now paused tariff regime, held its first round of direct talks with U.S. officials last week to discuss the issue.
The American Institute in Taiwan said in a statement that the two Republican senators, Pete Ricketts and Ted Budd, along with a Democrat senator, Chris Coons, were visiting until Saturday as part of a broader visit to the region.
“The delegation will engage in a series of high-level meetings with senior Taiwan leaders to discuss U.S.-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, and other significant issues of mutual interest,” it said.
“Their visit underscores the United States’ commitment to its partnership with Taiwan and reaffirms our shared commitment to strengthening a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.”
Ricketts is chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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