US Representative Howard Berman, the most senior Democrat on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, wants to lift restrictions on Taiwanese political leaders visiting the US.

In a speech to the Formosa Foundation in Los Angeles on Saturday, Berman blamed pressure from China for keeping the restrictions in place.

“It’s a crazy thing. Why does some foreign government get to tell the American government and the American people whether or not and under what circumstances a leader from Taiwan can come to this country?” he said.