U.S. Senate delegation visits Taiwan to strengthen regional alliances

Taipei, March 30 (CNA) A group of four U.S. senators, led by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican John Curtis, arrived in Taiwan early Monday for a two-day visit aimed at strengthening alliances in the Indo-Pacific region.

The delegation, which also includes senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport on a U.S. C-40 Clipper military transport plane at around 12:20 a.m. They were welcomed by Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi (陳明祺) and U.S. Deputy Representative to Taiwan Karin Lang.

According to the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the visit is part of a broader Indo-Pacific trip by the Senate delegation.

After the Taiwan leg, the group will also visit Japan and South Korea in a bid to strengthen U.S. alliances in the region, international media reports said.

"This bipartisan delegation demonstrates that Congress's commitment to these alliances and partnerships is unwavering and will endure well beyond any one administration," Shaheen, who serves as the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was quoted as saying in an Associated Press report.

"Our alliance with Taiwan is one of the most strategically and morally significant partnerships America has in the Indo-Pacific," Curtis said, according to the report.