Conservative Canadian Member of Parliament and Shadow Foreign Minister Michael Chong arrived in Taiwan for a visit on Monday, May 18. In a social media post ahead of the visit, he said he would meet with with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and other senior Taiwanese officials.

Chong said that his trip aims to demonstrate democratic solidarity and assert Canada’s sovereignty in the face of Chinese threats, previously issued by the Chinese ambassador to Canada regarding Canadian MPs visiting Taiwan. He added that Canada is a sovereign and independent nation and does not take instructions from foreign governments regarding how its lawmakers conduct international visits nor which international waters are open to its navy.

A five-member Canadian parliamentary delegation visited Taiwan in January, but two of its members cut their visit short, reportedly following the advice of the Canadian government.