‘Personal signal’: US’s Biden sends ex-officials to Taiwan

Visit marks the 42nd anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act but is likely to anger China.

President Joe Biden sent an unofficial delegation of United States former high-level officials to Taiwan on Wednesday in a signal of support for the democratic island, which China claims as its own. Former US Senator Chris Dodd and former Deputy Secretaries of State Richard Armitage and James Steinberg are expected to arrive in Taiwan on Wednesday afternoon, travelling at Biden’s request, in what a White House official called a “personal signal” of the president’s commitment to the island. “Once again this visit demonstrates the firm relationship between Taiwan and the United States,” said Xavier Chang, the spokesman for Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.