US Senators Tammy Duckworth, Dan Sullivan, and Christopher Coons have arrived in Taiwan to meet with government officials. The Senate delegation flew in a C-17 military transport plane and landed at Taipei’s Songshan Airport Sunday, June 6, morning at 07:19. The three senators will only be in Taiwan for three hours based on epidemic prevention considerations and their activities will be confined to a command center in the military part of Taipei Songshan Airport to avoid contact with the public
The senators will meet with senior Taiwan leaders to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, and other significant issues of mutual interest. Foreign minister Joseph Wu welcomed the delegation and president Tsai Ing-wen is expected to meet with them at approximately 8:30 a.m. Speaking at Taipei’s downtown Songshan airport after arriving on a three-hour visit with fellow Senators Dan Sullivan and Christopher Coons, Duckworth said Taiwan would be getting 750,000 doses as part of the first tranche of U.S. donations.
The USA will donate 750,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to Taiwan as a part of the nation’s plan to share photographs globally, providing a much-needed increase to the island’s combat towards the pandemic. Taiwan is coping with a spike in home circumstances however has been affected like many locations by international vaccines shortages. Solely round 3% of its 23.5 million individuals have been vaccinated, with most getting solely the primary shot of two wanted. Japan delivered to Taiwan 1.24 million doses of AstraZeneca PLC’s coronavirus vaccine on Friday at no cost.
U.S. senators and congressmen visit Taiwan routinely in normal times, but coming in the middle of an upswing in infections on the island when its borders remain largely closed. Duckworth and Sullivan are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Coons is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The three are all strong supporters of Taiwan. Duckworth is a war veteran of Thai ancestry who served as a helicopter pilot in Iraq, where she lost both her legs. Sullivan served as assistant secretary of state under President George W. Bush, while Christopher Coons will be the only visitor-serving on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
