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Delegation of former US officials to arrive in Taiwan on January 14

They will be accompanied by American Institute in Taiwan Chair Laura Rosenberger

HONG KONG, January 14. /TASS/. A delegation of former US high-ranking officials will arrive in Taipei on January 14, the American Institute in Taiwan (de facto the US embassy on the island) said.

"Former National Security Advisor [in the George W. Bush Jr. administration, Republican] Stephen J. Hadley and former Deputy Secretary of State [in the Barack Obama administration, Democrat] James B. Steinberg will arrive in Taipei on January 14. They will be accompanied by American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chair Laura Rosenberger," the statement said.

According to the American Institute, "on January 15, they will meet with a range of leading political figures and convey congratulations from the American people to Taiwan on its successful elections."

White House National Security Council deputy spokeswoman Kate Waters said earlier that US plans to send an "unofficial delegation" to Taiwan after the island's presidential election were in line with the ‘one China’ policy.

Elections for Taiwan's president and members of the Legislative Yuan (the island's highest legislative body) were held on January 13. Vice President Lai Ching-te, also representing the currently ruling DPP, won the election with 40.05% of the vote. Hou Yu-ih, a politician from the pro-alignment Kuomintang, which favors rapprochement with mainland China received 33.49%, while Ko Wen-je, chairman of the centrist Taiwanese People's Party, received 26.46%. The opposition conceded defeat in the election.

Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled there after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War. Since then, Taiwan has retained the flag and some other attributes of the former Republic of China that existed on the mainland before the Communists took power. Official Beijing considers Taiwan a province of the People’s Republic of China.

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