US-Taiwan partnership key to curbing China aggression: US Congressman

TAIPEI, Mar 28: A US congressman said during a visit to Taipei Thursday that Washingtons partnership with Taiwan was key to countering Chinas "increasingly aggressive actions in the region".

China considers democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, though Taipei does not recognise that claim, and has worked in recent years to strengthen its partnership with top ally and key weapons provider the United States.

The island is also located at the edge of maritime hotspot the South China Sea, which China claims almost in its entirety, despite an international court ruling to the contrary and competing claims from Southeast Asian countries.
Visiting Republican congressman Jack Bergman -- chairman of the House Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations, which deals with defence policy -- said Thursday that Washingtons relationship with Taiwan was "key for the future security of the region".

"This includes a strong Taiwan maritime strategy and how we can work together in shared goals to counter China on their increasingly aggressive actions in the region," Bergman said during a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

Led by Bergman, the US delegations visit to Taipei comes a little over a week after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Manila to assure its longtime ally of its "ironclad defence commitments".    —AFP