Before heading to Central America, President Tsai Ing-wen made a 28-hour stopover in Houston, Texas, where she reportedly met with political figures including US Senator and former presidential candidate Ted Cruz. Cruz said that he and other Texas representatives had received a letter from China requesting them not to meet with Tsai, but he rejected the letter and its premise, in a show of support for Taiwan. During her transit stop in Houston, President Tsai reportedly met with US Senator Ted Cruz and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. After the meeting, Cruz revealed that he and other congressional delegates from Texas had received a letter from the Chinese consulate asking them not to meet with Tsai.Ted CruzUS Senator (R, Texas)That letter was not persuasive. It is not the position of the People’s Republic of China to exercise a veto on those with whom we meet. We do not attempt to do so with China, and it is not their place to attempt to do so with us. As for whether Tsai had seen members of Donald Trump’s transition team, Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Harry Tseng denied that any meeting had taken place. But when asked if the two sides had exchanged phone calls, Tseng took a more reserved tone.Harry TsengPresidential Office Deputy Secretary-GeneralBased on our bilateral understanding and respect for our friends in the United States, we will not elaborate on this point.Tsai and her staff assiduously avoided discussion of Trump or his team during her US transit stop, in what is being viewed as an attempt not to exacerbate the current tensions between Taiwan, the US, and China.
