U.S. select subcommittee on COVID-19 pandemic chair visits Taiwan

Taipei, Aug. 19 (CNA) United States Congressman Brad Wenstrup, chairman of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, has arrived in Taiwan on a three-day visit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced Monday.

Wenstrup, accompanied by staffers from the subcommittee, will meet with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and other government officials, during the group's stay from Monday through Wednesday, MOFA said in a press release.

The U.S. delegation will discuss with Taiwanese officials issues relating to the nation's COVID-19 pandemic response mechanism, public health infrastructure, plans to combat future pandemics and Taiwan's bid to join World Health Organization (WHO), it added.

Wenstrup, a Republican representing Ohio's Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, has been a "staunch supporter and friend of Taiwan," who has supported Taiwan's participation at the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the WHO, for years, MOFA said.

He was also one of the signatories to an open letter calling on President Joe Biden to donate COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan in 2021, it said.