U.S. House caucus chair hopeful Ted Lieu backs Taiwan's self-defense

Detailed summary

Taiwan-born U.S. Congressman Ted Lieu (劉雲平), who is seeking to become the next chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said Saturday that he strongly supports ensuring Taiwan has the means to defend itself.

Los Angeles, Nov. 14 (CNA) Taiwan-born U.S. Congressman Ted Lieu (劉雲平), who is seeking to become the next chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said Saturday that he strongly supports ensuring Taiwan has the means to defend itself.

Speaking to CNA ahead of an event organized by the North American Taiwanese American Bar Association (NATBA), Lieu said he "fully supports making sure that Taiwan has what it needs to defend itself."

He also voiced strong support for U.S.-Taiwan relations and the "tremendous trade relationship we have with Taiwan."

Asked whether the currently stalled US$14 billion in foreign military sales to Taiwan would be a priority if he becomes caucus chair, Lieu replied, "It absolutely is for me."

At the NATBA event, where he appeared alongside Goodwin Liu (劉弘威), an associate justice of the California Supreme Court who is also of Taiwanese descent, Lieu said he was proud to be a member of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus.

He also noted that he was among the lawmakers who introduced the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which was signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump in December 2025.

The act requires the U.S. Department of State to regularly review and update its guidelines governing official U.S. interactions with Taiwan.

Lieu announced his bid for caucus chair on Nov. 5. The caucus is scheduled to elect its next chair on Wednesday, and Lieu is currently running unopposed. If elected, he would become the first Asian American to hold the position.

He previously made history in 2023 when he was elected vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, becoming the highest-ranking Asian American to serve in the caucus at the time.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Focus Taiwan (CNA). To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.