The team attending the ceremony on May 20 includes President Joe Biden's former National Economic Council director, Brian Deese, as well as Richard Armitage, a former deputy secretary of state in the George W. Bush administration.
Sending former officials was in keeping with more than 20 years of US practice when it came to Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, the senior US administration official said.
"Beijing will be the provocateur should it choose to respond with additional military pressure or coercion," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
"We've been clear in our communications with Beijing that the US sending delegations, unofficial former USG (US government) delegations, is a long-standing practice."
During a visit to China in April, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked Beijing to avoid "provocative" measures during Lai's inauguration.
China, which has said it will not renounce the use of force to bring self-ruled Taiwan under its control, has labeled Lai a "dangerous separatist."
Beijing reacted with fury when then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in 2022, suspending military talks with Washington until just over a month ago.
Officially, the United States and China are rebuilding ties following a tension-easing meeting between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in California last year.
But the world's two biggest economies remain deeply at odds over Taiwan, trade, technology and the Ukraine war.
Biden on Tuesday unveiled steep tariff hikes on Chinese imports, including electric vehicles and semiconductors, blasting Beijing for "cheating" rather than competing on trade.
Canadian delegation arrives for Taiwan inauguration
Taipei (AFP) May 16, 2024 -
A Canadian delegation has arrived in Taiwan for the inauguration of incoming president Lai Ching-te in a show of support for the island's democracy, Taipei said Thursday.
The visit of the 11-member delegation led by ruling party lawmaker Judy Sgro comes at a time of tense relations between Ottawa and Beijing, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of China.
Taiwan's foreign minister Joseph Wu hosted a banquet for the delegation on Wednesday and thanked the Canadian parliament for "sparing no effort to support" Taiwan's international participation, his ministry said.
"Sgro's visit to Taiwan to attend the inauguration ceremony of our country's president and vice president is a show of support and recognition for democratic Taiwan," it said in a statement Thursday.
Sgro is the chairperson of Canada's committee of international trade.
The foreign ministry did not identify other members of the delegation.
Canada maintains formal diplomatic relations with Beijing instead of Taiwan, which is only formally recognised by 12 states.
But relations between Beijing and Ottawa plunged in recent years, including after the arrest of a senior Chinese telecom executive on a US warrant in Vancouver in December 2018 and Beijing's retaliatory detention of two Canadians on espionage charges.
There have also been allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian elections in 2019 and 2021, which Beijing denies.
During outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen's eight-year administration, Beijing has stepped up pressures on Taiwan due to her rejection of China's claims over the island -- a stance shared by her successor Lai.
China has described Lai as a "dangerous separatist" and warned he would bring "war and decline" in the run-up to the island's January presidential election.
Several countries, including the United States, have announced they will send delegations to attend Lai's inauguration on Monday.
Washington's delegation includes President Joe Biden's former National Economic Council director, Brian Deese, as well as Richard Armitage, a former deputy secretary of state in the George W. Bush administration, a US official said, warning China against any retaliation.
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