US senators plan Taiwan visit ahead of Trump-Xi summit
WASHINGTON—A bipartisan group of four senators has plans to visit Taiwan, Japan and South Korea in the coming days on a trip meant to bolster US alliances seen as important to countering China’s dominance in Asia.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, announced the trip on Saturday. She will be joined by Sens. John Curtis, R-Utah, Thom Tillis, R-N.C. and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev. Their visits to Taipei, Tokyo and Seoul are coming before President Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing in May for a rescheduled summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The lawmakers’ stop in Taiwan could draw scrutiny from China, which opposes such relations and sees them as a challenge to its claim of sovereignty over the self-governing island. Taiwan relies on American backing for its democracy, but recent moves by Trump, such as discussing a potential weapons sale to Taiwan with Xi, have raised questions about the future direction of US policy.
Analysts in both China and the United States believe Xi, through the leader-level summit, will try to influence Trump to soften the US stance on Taiwan.
“This bipartisan delegation demonstrates Congress’ commitment to these alliances and partnerships is unwavering and will endure well beyond any one administration,” Shaheen said in a statement.
In a show of reassurance to the Asian allies, the lawmakers plan to meet with political leaders and defense officials on their trip.
Alliance with Taiwan
“Our alliance with Taiwan is one of the most strategically and morally significant partnerships America has in the Indo-Pacific,” Curtis said.
It remains to be seen how Trump’s intervention in Venezuela, Iran and elsewhere could influence other powers such as China and Russia. But there is some concern among lawmakers that the Republican president’s actions could be seen as giving those countries an opening for their own foreign moves.
The economic relationship with Taiwan has also come under scrutiny from the Trump administration. The United States is reliant on Taiwan for its production of computer chips, which contributed to a trade imbalance of nearly $127 billion during the first 11 months of 2025.
US-Taiwan deal
The Trump administration reached a deal with Taiwan in February that removed 99 percent of its trade barriers.
During another visit by a bipartisan group of US lawmakers last year, they emphasized that the United States would continue to partner closely with Taiwan.
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