February 1, 2023
The Honorable Antony Blinken
Secretary
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Blinken,
As you prepare for your upcoming trip to the People’s Republic of China,1
we hope you will
consider adding a stopover to your itinerary: Taipei. In recent months, you have described the
Biden administration’s commitment to Taiwan as “rock solid,”2
and we can see no better way to
demonstrate that commitment than an official visit.
First, such a visit would send a clear message that the United States strongly opposes China’s
reckless military provocations in the region – actions which President Biden has described as
“coercive” and a threat to regional peace and stability.3
Second, it would be an opportunity for you to publicly address growing concerns about recent
delays in the delivery of U.S. weapons systems to Taiwan. As you know, some of these systems
are related to arms sales that were approved as long ago as 2019 and include everything from F-
16s to other asymmetric weapons that are critical to Taiwan’s defensive capabilities.4
Finally, a personal visit to Taiwan would be consistent with the congressional intent of the
Taiwan Travel Act (Public Law 115-135), which made it the express policy of the United States
to encourage high-ranking U.S. executive branch officials to visit Taiwan and meet with their
counterparts.
Consistent with the intent of that law – and in the interest of improving bilateral relations
between our two countries – we hope you will consider our request.
1
https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/17/politics/blinken-china-visit/index.html
2
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/06/biden-says-he-and-chinas-xi-have-agreed-to-abide-by-taiwan-
agreement
3
https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20211028-biden-stresses-rock-solid-us-commitment-to-taiwan-at-east-
asia-summit
4
https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2022/04/14/pandemic-delays-spark-14-billion-backlog-of-us-defense-
transfers-to-taiwan/

Thank you in advance for your favorable consideration, and we look forward to hearing from
you.
Sincerely,
Tom Tiffany Scott Perry
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Dan Crenshaw Andy Ogles
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Burgess Owens Nancy Mace
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Scott DesJarlais, M.D. Byron Donalds
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Earl L. “Buddy” Carter
Member of Congress