House China committee meets leaders in Taiwan amid rising tensions

A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers assured Taiwan's president-elect William Lai of strong U.S. support in a meeting in Taipei on Thursday.

Why it matters: The U.S. delegation takes a hard line on the Chinese government, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has ramped up pressure on the self-governing island after Lai's election in January, sending warships, military jets and high-altitude balloons near Taiwan.

Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) opposes close ties with Beijing. Chinese officials warned Taiwan's voters before the election to avoid voting for Lai, who is also the current vice president.

What's happening: Members of the House Select Committee on Competition with the Chinese Communist Party, led by committee chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), also met current president Tsai Ing-wen, foreign minister Joseph Wu and Taiwanese lawmakers on the committee's first visit to Taiwan.