President Tsai Ing-wen received Senator Duckworth at the Presidential Palace on the 31st. Figure: Reprinted from the Presidential Palace YouTube
According to a Archyde.com report, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said during a meeting with U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth on May 31 that the U.S. National Guard is cooperating with the Taiwan military to threaten escalation in China. On the occasion of the high, deepen the security relationship with Taiwan. Duckworth led the proposal of the Taiwan Partnership Act, which has won bipartisan support. The U.S. Department of Defense is actively planning for cooperation between the National Guard and Taiwan’s defense forces.
The report continued, Tsai Ing-wen also said: “We look forward to deepening and closer cooperation between Taiwan and the United States in regional security.” It also cited previous reports from Taiwan media that Taiwan and the Hawaii National Guard may become partners in the project. Duckworth emphasized support for Taiwan’s security. She wore the plum blossom and the pin of the U.S. Senate that day to symbolize the side-by-side partnership between Taiwan and the United States.
The report mentioned that when Duckworth later called on the Executive Director Su Zhenchang, she stated that this visit to Taiwan hopes to strengthen the partnership between Taiwan and the United States, and in view of the situation of the Ukraine-Russia war, she must convey that the United States will stand with Taiwan and will not Let Taiwan fight alone. She was accompanied by the director of the U.S. National Guard’s State Partnership Program, which will work with “you to build your all-out defense.”
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a briefing on May 31 that Duckworth, as a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, will meet Defense Secretary Qiu Guozheng to exchange Taiwan Strait security issues. Duckworth did not elaborate on the cooperation between the U.S. National Guard and Taiwan. The State Partnership Program pairs the U.S. National Guard with other states to assist with training and interoperability.
The Duckworth delegation arrived in Taiwan on the evening of May 30. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian responded that China is strongly dissatisfied and has lodged solemn representations with the US. China dispatched 30 military planes to scramble Taiwan to express its dissatisfaction. U.S. President Joe Biden just stated during his visit to Tokyo last week that he is willing to intervene militarily when China uses force against Taiwan, and reiterated that “that is a promise we have made.” Afterwards, the Chinese military announced that it would hold a joint naval and air multi-arms military exercise around Taiwan, claiming that “this is a solemn warning to the recent US-Taiwan collusion activities.”