TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A U.S. congressional delegation, led by Senator Ed Markey, stopped at the Legislative Yuan on Monday (Aug. 15) to meet with the Legislative Foreign and National Defense Committee.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chi-cheng (羅致政), who presided over the hour-long closed-door meeting, said that he emphasized the significance and timing of the visit because China's recent military exercise is meant to discourage U.S. congressmen from coming to Taiwan, CNA reported. Markey’s trip to the nation proves once again that China cannot instigate or require politicians from other countries to visit Taiwan, Lo said.

The legislator said he hoped the U.S. would adopt a clear strategic position regarding Taiwan and realize the importance of Taiwan's role in global security.

Legislator Ho Chih-wei (何志偉) said he hopes Taiwan’s democratic allies can clearly establish a red line regarding Taiwan’s security, given China’s ramped-up military threats.

Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said Taiwan and the U.S. should be clear on the issue of upholding democracy. There should not be any ambiguity, he added.

Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟), said that he expressed many people's concerns that the Biden administration's arms sales to Taiwan are limited to asymmetric arms sales. He said he believes that both asymmetric and conventional combat power are both important.

It is time to review the "one-China policy," he said, otherwise it will affect the normal exchanges between Taiwan and the U.S. During the meeting, both sides agreed that it is extremely important to jointly defend the values of freedom and democracy, Chao pointed out.

Markey is a staunch supporter of Taiwan. In March 2021, he proposed the Taiwan Fellowship Act, which would see the establishment of a program providing fellowships in Taiwan to qualifying U.S. government employees.

He helped introduce the Taiwan ASSURE Act in October, which advocated for stability measures to lower the risk of conflict in the Taiwan Strait by supporting dialogues to mitigate misunderstandings and promote transparency. It also supported an expansion of the Global Cooperation and Training Framework.

Markey also voted in favor of passing the Taiwan Relations Act, back in 1979.

Markey’s delegation consists of Representatives John Garamendi, Alan Lowenthal, Don Beyer, and Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen.