Reps meeting Taiwan’s Tsai say US seeks peace in region

TAIPEI, Taiwan—A delegation of United States lawmakers met with Taiwan’s president on Tuesday as part of an ongoing visit to the island that comes at a tense moment between the US and China, who have spent weeks trading accusations over a suspected spy balloon.

The group was one of many US delegations President Tsai Ing-wen has welcomed in recent years, despite China’s objections.

China claims the island republic as its own territory, to be taken by force if necessary.

Beijing has responded to foreign visits by holding large-scale military exercises seen by some as a rehearsal for a blockade or invasion.

Tsai thanked the lawmakers for coming, saying it was a chance to deepen ongoing cooperation in semiconductor chip design and manufacturing, renewable energy and 5G.

“Taiwan and the US [will] continue to bolster military exchanges. Going forward, Taiwan will cooperate even more actively with the US and other democratic partners to confront such bold challenges as authoritarian expansionism and climate change,” Tsai said.

Tensions between the US and China inflated after Washington shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that Beijing maintains was an unmanned weather balloon. Both sides are also in opposition on the war

TWO soldiers fold the national flag during the daily flag ceremony in Liberty Square of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan on July 30, 2022. A delegation of US lawmakers met with Taiwan’s President on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, as part of an ongoing visit that comes at a tense moment between the US and China, who have spent weeks trading accusations over a spy balloon. AP/CHIANG YING-YING in Ukraine, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Sunday that Beijing could be considering providing weapons to Russia for the war.

“We are here to affirm the shared values between the US and Taiwan—a commitment to democracy, a commitment to freedom,” California Rep. Ro Khanna said. “The US under President Biden’s leadership seeks peace in the region.”

He is accompanied by Reps. Tony Gonzales of Texas, Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts and Jonathan Jackson of Illinois. The group met with their legislative counterparts Monday, as well as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company founder Morris Chang.

Khanna also offered a tribute to former President Jimmy Carter, who recently entered hospice care. He was president when Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act, under which the US must ensure Taiwan can defend itself. AP

Seoul’s Unification Ministry, which handles affairs with the North, said in a statement that it would consider resuming the tests if the North Korean escapees have health problems or request examinations.

The advocacy group said South Korean records show nearly 900 people from the region around the Punggye-ri site have escaped to South Korea since the North’s first nuclear test in 2006. It said resuming radiation testing for them was crucial considering the lack of access to North Korea’s nuclear facility.

“North Korean escapees who display symptoms of radiation exposure must given accurate information and appropriate medical treatment,” said Ethan Hee-Seok Shin, a legal expert with the group. He also urged an independent investigation in North Korea based on the test results.

The Seoul-based Transitional Justice Working Group cited the findings and its own analysis of geographic and census data to say that North Korea’s six nuclear detonations could have spread radioactive materials by water within 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) of the Punggye-ri nuclear facility. It said more than a million people live in the area dependent on groundwater and wells since piped water is scarce beyond the capital, Pyongyang and a few other cities.

North Korea has rejected safety concerns surrounding its nuclear tests, saying the testing environment each time was fully controlled and that it detected no radioactive leaks. It allowed foreign journalists to film the detonation of some tunnels at the site in 2018 but has never allowed international nuclear inspectors to visit the Punggye-ri testing ground.

The advocacy group also urged South Korea, Japan and China to investigate the contamination risks of North Korean agricultural and seafood products. It said the area around the nuclear testing site is a foodproducing region with abundant rainfall and a network of streams that lead to the sea.

South Korea and Japan have imposed bans for many years, but the products are often smuggled and disguised as Chinese.

In 2015, Seoul’s Food and Drug Safety Ministry found high levels of radioactive cesium isotopes in North Koreaproduced dried hedgehog mushrooms that were being sold as Chinese products.

Observers have said North Korea may be making preparations at the Punggye-ri site to conduct its seventh nuclear test and the first since September 2017.