US Republicans, usually strong Taiwan supporters, quiet on denying NY stopover to Lai

The White House’s apparent decision to block Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s transit through New York has sparked backlash from Democrats but met with relative silence from Republicans, including those typically outspoken about Taiwan.

The muted Republican response marks a notable shift for a party that has in recent years championed high-profile engagement with Taipei – including symbolic moves that Democrats have avoided.

It also comes amid high-stakes US-China trade negotiations that some observers have suggested is motivating the posture.

On Monday, three Democratic representatives – Raja Krishnamoorthi, the senior Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party; Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee; and Gregory Stanton, a co-chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus – sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio raising “grave concern” over the decision.

Stopping Lai’s transit represented a “stark departure from precedent”, the Democrats wrote, and “sends a dangerous signal to Beijing about our willingness to make concessions with regard to our national strategic interests”.

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Proposed US stopover by Taiwanese leader William Lai reportedly blocked by Washington

Proposed US stopover by Taiwanese leader William Lai reportedly blocked by Washington

“We call on you to approve any requested transit by President Lai and reaffirm the United States’ long-standing policy regarding Taiwan,” they continued.