TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A U.S. delegation met with President Tsai Ing-wen and President-elect Lai Ching-te, as well as other Taiwanese government officials on Monday (Jan. 15), two days after Taiwan's presidential and legislative elections.
The delegation arrived one day earlier, including former Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chair Laura Rosenberger.
Upon meeting at the presidential office, Tsai expressed gratitude for their support and extended a warm welcome to the group.
Former U.S. National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley remarked, "We look forward to continuity in the relationship between Taiwan and the United States under the new administration and for common efforts to preserve cross-strait peace and stability."
The group then proceeded to the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) headquarters to meet President-elect Lai Ching-te and Hsiao Bi-khim, among others.
On the other side of the Taiwan Strait, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi renewed Beijing's staunch opposition to Taiwanese independence.
"Taiwan has never been a country; it wasn't in the past, it isn't now, and it certainly won't be in the future," Wang said.
Wang reiterated that those pushing for Taiwanese independence, an act viewed as splitting China's territory, would face severe punishment under law and historical judgment.
Both the U.S. and China have shown high attention to Taiwan's election results. All these diplomatic moves reflect the critical position Taiwan holds in U.S.-China relations, heightened by the change in Taipei's political scene.