TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A high-level U.S. delegation is reportedly slated to visit Taiwan after the presidential election on Saturday (Jan. 13), according to Financial Times (FT).

The delegation is said to be led by former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and former National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, FT cited five informed sources as saying.

Although the Biden administration has previously dispatched two bipartisan delegations composed of former officials to express support for Taiwan, sending such a delegation immediately after Taiwan’s election is an unusual move, FT reported.

One former U.S. official told FT that Biden's move carries risks and may have counterproductive effects. They emphasized the need for the U.S. to encourage restraint between Beijing and Taipei, saying: “Sending such a high-level delegation looks like a bear hug to Taipei, giving Beijing cover to overreact. We need more subtle actions to be effective.”

Another source said Biden's plan was not a good idea as both Taipei and Beijing might use the visit to advance their agendas, creating policy challenges for Washington. They pointed out that Taiwanese politicians might interpret and spin the visit, which could exacerbate tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

However, some experts agreed with the White House's decision, believing it would be beneficial for Taiwan. Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the German Marshall Fund's Indo-Pacific Program, said, "Sending messages of our support for Taiwan’s democracy and for the new president is important and doing that on a bipartisan basis is beneficial.”

In 2022, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen and former Deputy Secretary of Defense Michele Flournoy visited Taiwan to convey the message that the U.S. would not provide an opportunity for Beijing to take advantage of the situation due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In 2021, a bipartisan delegation, including Steinberg and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage traveled to Taiwan to reaffirm U.S. support amid China's increased air defense identification zone incursions.