Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

A US congressional delegation led by US Senator John Cornyn, 11th left, American Institute in Taiwan Director Sandra Oudkirk, 10th left, and other officials pose for a photograph during a visit to the Presidential Office on Sunday to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen, center.
Photo: CNA

A US congressional delegation’s visit to Taiwan last week was aimed at learning how Washington can help support Taipei’s defense capabilities and to discuss ways to boost bilateral trade ties, US Senator John Cornyn said on Sunday.

Cornyn, who led the all-Republican delegation, said in a news release that the group had returned to the US on Sunday after concluding an Indo-Pacific trip in the past few days that took it to Taiwan, the Philippines and India “to strengthen ties with critical allies and partners to counter Chinese aggression.”

US President Joe Biden has just become the third president in 20 years to declare or strongly imply that the US would defend Taiwan against an attack from China. He also became the third president to stand corrected by the foreign policy establishment within and outside the government.

In April 2001, then-US president George W. Bush answered affirmatively when asked whether the US would protect Taiwan.

When pressed, he said the US would do “whatever it took.”