US lawmakers seek high-level Taiwan visitsWASHINGTON--Members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a Taiwan Travel Act on Thursday that seeks to lift restrictions and allow all high-level officials of Taiwan, including its president, to visit the United States. The bill, introduced by representatives Steve Chabot, Brad Sherman and Ted Poe, states that "it should be the policy of the United States to encourage visits between the United States and Taiwan at all levels." "Over the past decades, United States-Taiwan relations have suffered from a lack of communication due to the self-imposed restrictions that the United States maintains on high-level visits with Taiwan," according to the text of the bill. The proposal advocates a policy of allowing all high-level officials of Taiwan to enter the United States or U.S. embassies and consulates under conditions that demonstrate respect for such leaders. Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and opposes any behavior that could suggest Taiwan is a sovereign country, including visits by senior officials to countries with which Taiwan does not have formal diplomatic relations.

Source: The China Post September 16, 2016 18:39 UTC