House Republicans Urge Biden Administration to Invite Taiwan President to APEC Summit

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) (R) and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (L) shake hands in the Air Force One Pavilion at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. on April 5, 2023. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

A group of House Republicans is calling on the Biden administration to support Taiwan by inviting the island’s democratically elected president to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which will be held in San Francisco in November.

Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) made the request in two letters to President Joe Biden (pdf) and Secretary of State Antony Blinken (pdf). Both letters, co-signed by 20 other House Republicans, said that excluding Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen from the meeting would send the wrong message to China.