Despite ongoing tension between China and Taiwan, Michigan Congressman Dan Kildee said U.S. officials should not stop visiting Taiwan.
On Thursday, the Taiwanese government shot down an unidentified drone over an island the country occupies near the Chinese coast. The Chinese claim they were not aware of the drone.
The tension between the two countries escalated following Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August.
Kildee said China will not control U.S. interactions.
"We're not going to allow the Chinese government or the Chinese Communist Party to dictate to American officials, what parts of the world we can visit, when we have really significant relationships," said Kildee.
Kildee made his comments at the opening of a new microchip manufacturing facility in Bay City. Kildee says the facility will help the U-S become less reliant on chips from countries like Taiwan, one of the world’s leading producers of the product.
Editor's note: this story originally reported that Congressman Kildee was a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He is not a part of that committee.
