GOP Sen. Blackburn visits Taiwan following Pelosi trip

Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn visited Taiwan amid rising tensions between the island's democratic government and the communist regime in Beijing.

“Taiwan is our strongest partner in the Indo-Pacific Region. Regular high-level visits to Taipei are long-standing U.S. policy,” Blackburn said, according to the Epoch Times. “I will not be bullied by Communist China into turning my back on the island.”

Her visit follows House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's diplomatic visit in early August, which came in spite of bellicose rhetoric from the People's Republic of China that even saw some pundits suggest shooting down her plane.

“We must stand with Taiwan, and I applaud Pelosi for not backing down to Biden or the CCP,” Blackburn said of Pelosi's visit, per the outlet.

The People's Republic of China, headquartered in Beijing, and the Taipei-based Republic of China adhere to the "One China Principle," an unusual diplomatic arrangement in which both recognize the existence of a single, unified Chinese state including the territory of both parties, but simultaneously assert claims to be the legitimate government.

Taiwan does not formally claim independence from China and Beijing regards the island as being under separatist control. The island because the Republic of China's last holdout after nationalist leader Chaing Kai-shek ordered his forces to evacuate the mainland in 1949 after losing the Chinese Civil War to Mao Zedong's communists.

The Biden administration has repeatedly asserted that it does not seek to alter the diplomatic status quo.

"We have repeatedly said that we oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. We have said that we do not support Taiwan independence," White House spokesman John Kirby said in early August.