US sending unofficial delegation to Taiwan after elections

The U.S. will send an unofficial delegation to Taiwan after the island nation concludes a high-stakes presidential election Saturday.

A senior administration official said the delegation will include former high-ranking U.S. officials, but declined to identify who would be sent and when.

“Given our unofficial relationship with Taiwan, we often send these high-level unofficial delegations of former government officials to Taipei,” the official said. “We have a decades-long tradition of doing so.”

President Biden has sent unofficial delegations comprising former lawmakers, military officers and diplomats to Taiwan before, in April 2021 and February 2022.

The senior official said it’s not clear how China would react to the delegation, but noted it was not unprecedented to send an unofficial group.

“We’re not expecting at this point or predicting what will happen or what the [Chinese] response will be,” the official said.

The delegation will meet with the president-elect to discuss U.S. priorities and policy with Taiwan.

“There’s really no replacement for that direct communication, and that’s what we’re trying to get at through this unofficial delegation,” the official added.

Taiwan’s elections are being closely watched, as the next administration in Taipei will govern the country during a tense time in the Indo-Pacific and as China pledges to reunify with the island, possibly by the end of the decade.

Three candidates are in the running. Leading the pack is William Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s current vice president and the nominee for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Lai does not seek formal independence from China but wants to maintain the status quo and forge closer ties with Washington.

Close behind Lai is Hou Yu-ih, the nominee for the Kuomintang (KMT) party, which wants closer ties with China but also to maintain the status quo on independence.

Another candidate, Ko Wen-je, promotes a balance between the KMT and DPP, though he has fallen behind in the polls.

China views Taiwan as historically part of the mainland. The U.S. follows the One China policy in recognizing Beijing’s claims, but commits to informal relations with Taipei.

China is facing accusations of meddling in Taiwan’s upcoming elections. Joseph Wu, Taiwan’s foreign affairs minister, stressed his concerns about Beijing’s interference to journalists this week.

The U.S. senior official said Washington has “serious concerns” about interference in the electoral process but emphasized confidence in Taipei’s system.

“It is no secret that Beijing has views on the outcome of the elections, and it’s trying to shape discourse in various different ways,” the official said, but “we have complete confidence in Taiwan’s democratic processes.”

The official also said the U.S. is in communication with China and would maintain those lines as the elections draw closer. The official explained the U.S. “does not take sides in these elections” and “does not have a favored or preferred candidate.”

“Regardless of who is elected, our policy toward Taiwan will remain the same and our strong unofficial relationship will also continue,” the official said.