Update 12:00 a.m. 08/26:
A US Army UC-35A jet with the callsign NINJA91 carrying Senator Marsha Blackburn and her delegation landed at Songshan Airport at 11:45 p.m. on Thursday night, according to aircraft tracking website Flightradar24.
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A congressional delegation led by Senator Marsha Blackburn is reportedly scheduled to land in Taipei late Thursday evening (Aug. 25).
The Financial Times on Sunday (Aug. 21), said that a congressional delegation was scheduled to arrive in Taiwan during the coming weekend, marking the fourth visit by U.S. envoys this month. On Thursday, TVBS reported the latest delegation will be led by Blackburn and arrive aboard a U.S. Army UC-35A in Taipei late at Songshan Airport.
Blackburn is scheduled to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and other government officials on Friday (Aug. 26), according to CNA. Regarding the arrival of Blackburn's delegation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) only said that there are foreign guests visiting Taiwan, and it will provide an explanation in due course.
The senator's visit marks the fourth trip by U.S. envoys to Taiwan in August. The first was U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's tour that started on Aug. 2, which made her the first House speaker to visit the country since Newt Gingrich in 1997.
Just 12 days after Pelosi's visit, Senator Ed Markey on Aug. 14 led a five-member congressional delegation to Taiwan. On Sunday (Aug. 21), Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb arrived with a delegation representing the first visit by a U.S. governor to Taiwan since the start of the COVID pandemic.
Possibly in response to Blackburn's visit, China on Thursday announced that it will hold live-fire drills off the coast of Fujian Province, in an area across the Taiwan Strait from north Taiwan, from Aug. 26-27. The live fire exercises will take place in the same area in the Taiwan Strait where they were held on July 30, just prior to Pelosi's arrival.
Prior to arriving in Taiwan, Blackburn visited Fiji, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea. While in the Solomon Islands, in addition to meeting with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, Blackburn wrote on her Facebook page that she met with opposition leaders of the government and was "inspired by their commitment to preserving their nation's democracy."
She also wrote that as the Chinese Communist Party's influence grows, the U.S. must "deepen our relationship with Pacific Islands and ensure their operational and physical security, as well as our own."
Jet carrying Blackburn detected landing in Taipei. (FlightRadar24 screenshot)
I just landed in Taiwan to send a message to Beijing — we will not be bullied.
The United States remains steadfast in preserving freedom around the globe, and will not tolerate efforts to undermine our nation and our allies. pic.twitter.com/yVcaYN7yIA
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) August 25, 2022
