TAOYUAN, Taiwan (Reuters) – The head of Taiwan’s delegation to next week’s inauguration of Donald Trump as U.S. president said on Saturday he would go there to extend the island’s “highest blessings” from the United States.

Taiwan, which China considers its own territory, enjoyed strong support from the first Trump administration, including the regularization of arms sales that continued under President Joe Biden. But Trump unnerved Taiwan on the campaign trail by calling for it to pay to defend itself.

Taiwan’s parliament speaker Han Kuo-yu, a senior member of the opposition Kuomintang party and who is running unsuccessfully for the presidency in 2020, said at Taoyuan airport before leaving for Washington that many foreigners that the leader is also on the way even in the threatened heavy snow.

“All of our delegation members also bring this enthusiasm to the United States to represent (our) 23 million people, and we extend our highest blessings to the US presidential team and the people of the United States .”

Han was accompanied by a cross-party delegation of seven other lawmakers.

The Chinese delegation was led by Vice President Han Zheng, and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone with Trump on Friday, discussing issues including Taiwan.

Han’s party has traditionally favored close ties and dialogue with China, but has been denied being pro-Beijing.

The United States, like most countries, does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

China has increased its military pressure against Taiwan over the past five years and has refused to talk to President Lai Ching-te, calling him a “separatist”. He rejected China’s sovereignty claims, and China refused his offers for talks.

Meeting late Friday with Mike Pence, Trump’s vice president in his first administration, Lai said that because of China’s threats against Taiwan and Beijing’s engagement with countries like Russia, the democracy must work together.

“I believe that if the partnership between Taiwan and the United States becomes stronger, the power to maintain peace and stability in the world will become stronger,” Lai told Pence.