U.S. delegation led by Senator Lindsey Graham arrives in Taiwan

A U.S. delegation led by Senator Lindsey Graham arrived Thursday evening for a brief, unannounced visit to Taiwan. The group of politicians, made a stopover in Taipei, arriving aboard a military plane on their way back from Australia.

The U.S. officials are expected to meet Friday with Taiwanese Chief of Staff Tsai Ing-wen and several department heads. The two sides intend to discuss bilateral relations, regional security and stability and other topics of mutual interest.

The United States severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979 and established relations with the PRC. Recognizing the “one-China” policy, Washington continues to maintain contact with the self-governing island and supplies it with arms. This has provoked protests in mainland China, where Taiwan is regarded as an integral part of Chinese territory and strongly warned against any separatist aspirations.