“A delegation of American lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on Sunday, just 12 days after a visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that prompted China to launch days of threatening military drills around the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its control,” AP News reported.
Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts will lead a five-member delegation to meet President Tsai Ing-wen and other officials, as well as members of the private sector, to discuss shared interests including reducing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and investments in semiconductors.
The other members of the delegation include, “Republican Rep. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, a delegate from American Samoa, and Democratic House members John Garamendi and Alan Lowenthal from California and Don Beyer from Virginia.”
As predicted, Nancy Pelosi’s provocation against China is being repeated. She opened the gates to the de facto recognition of Taiwan and the trashing of the One China Policy. These Congress-people are worthless war makers unable to solve problems at home https://t.co/jV42gYE0HU
— Brian Becker (@BrianBeckerDC) August 14, 2022
US Congress team follows Nancy Pelosi with second high-level Taiwan visit in a month https://t.co/OCF6DQLyHB
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 14, 2022
A US congressional delegation led by Senator Ed Markey is kicking off a two-day visit to Taiwan today, per a statement from the American Institute in Taiwan. https://t.co/zR3qf90He5
— annmarie hordern (@annmarie) August 14, 2022
From the American Institute in Taiwan:
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), Representative John Garamendi (D-CA), Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Representative Don Beyer (D-VA), and Representative Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-AS) will visit Taiwan from August 14-15, 2022, as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region. The delegation will meet with senior Taiwan leaders to discuss U.S.-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, global supply chains, climate change, and other significant issues of mutual interest.
AP News added:
Chinese warplanes have continued crossing the midpoint of the Taiwan Strait on a daily basis even after the conclusion of the military exercises last Wednesday, with at least 10 doing so on Sunday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said.
The 10 fighter jets were among 22 Chinese military aircraft and six naval ships detected in the area around Taiwan by 5 p.m. on Sunday, the ministry said on its Twitter account.
A senior White House official on Asia policy said late last week that China had used Pelosi’s visit as a pretext to launch an intensified pressure campaign against Taiwan, jeopardizing peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the broader region.
“China has overreacted, and its actions continue to be provocative, destabilizing, and unprecedented,” Kurt Campbell, a deputy assistant to President Joe Biden, said on a call with reporters.
“It has sought to disregard the centerline between the P.R.C. and Taiwan, which has been respected by both sides for more than 60 years as a stabilizing feature,” he said, using the acronym for the country’s full name, the People’s Republic of China.
Between Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit and the latest five-member congressional delegation, could this constitute violations of the Logan Act?
Per Wikipedia:
The Logan Act (1 Stat. 613, 18 U.S.C. § 953, enacted January 30, 1799) is a United States federal law that criminalizes negotiation by unauthorized American citizens with foreign governments having a dispute with the United States. The intent behind the Act is to prevent unauthorized negotiations from undermining the government’s position.[2] The Act was passed following George Logan’s unauthorized negotiations with France in 1798, and was signed into law by President John Adams on January 30, 1799. The Act was amended in 1994, changing the penalty for violation from “fined $5,000” to “fined under this title”; this appears to be the only amendment to the Act.[2] Violation of the Logan Act is a felony.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!