By Keoni Everington
Published May 11, 2026 at 16:23

             TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — US Representatives Tom Tiffany and Chris Smith on Friday urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to give President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) the same opportunity to visit the US as KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文).

             Cheng said on April 20 that members of Congress, think tanks, and overseas Taiwanese groups have invited her to visit the US in early June. Tiffany and Smith responded by sending a letter to Rubio supporting her trip, but “in the interest of fairness,” called for facilitating Lai’s visit.

             The lawmakers said US-Taiwan relations are governed by several laws, including the Taiwan Relations Act and the Taiwan Travel Act. They noted that the Taiwan Travel Act makes it US policy to encourage meetings between senior Taiwanese officials and their American counterparts.

             They also cited the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994, which stipulates that Taiwan’s president “shall be admitted” to the US for discussions with American officials.

             The representatives said that, “Whenever visits like these are contemplated by our friends in Taiwan, the Communist Chinese authorities invariably attempt to dictate to the United States who we can and cannot meet with.” They described such pressure as “outrageous interference in our internal affairs” that is “inappropriate and unacceptable,” and they urged Rubio to reject it.

             Tiffany and Smith thanked Rubio for his longstanding support for stronger US-Taiwan ties. They also expressed hope that “in the interest of impartiality, you will welcome a visit by Mr. Lai with the same courtesy and respect afforded to the leader of the KMT.”

Letter by Representatives Tom Tiffany and Chris Smith to Secretary of State Marco Rubio  (Tom Tiffany image)