JUNEAU – Republican governor Mike Dunleavy flew to Taiwan last month to present to business and government leaders on the Liquefied natural gas export project sponsored by the State of Alaska.
The same day, Dunleavy and other Alaska officials arrived in Taipei during the unexpected trip, his office received an email from the Chinese vice-consul in San Francisco, Ba Yanfeng. The Consulate knew that Dunleavy directed a trip to the “province” of Taiwan, and the officials of the Chinese government wanted a meeting with its chief of staff, said BA.
Dunleavy had entered an quivering geopolitical conflict – a problem that the Chinese government describes as the most important and sensitive of its relationship with the United States
China says Taiwan is its own territory and regularly performs nearby military exercises – including some that have simulated blockages and involved dismissing missiles on the island.
The United States does not officially recognize the independence of Taiwan. But it is a long -standing ally, sells weapons to the government and has embarked on the legislation to support the defense of the island.
In a formal monitoring noteThe Chinese government said that Dunleavy’s journey “sends a very bad signal to the separatist forces of” Taiwan’s independence “, and he urged the governor” to correct such errors and to avoid his recurrence “.
But Dunleavy, in an interview, said that he was not discouraged.
“I do not allow myself to grow by too many entities or people,” he said.
Alaska is doing a significant trade with China, namely in seafood products, although this has decreased since President Donald Trump began to take prices during his first mandate. However, Alaska exports more than $ 500 million in seafood products to China each year.
But in the midst of the wider and broader trade in China with America, the experts said it is unlikely that the country is targeting Alaska with a reprisal action, even if the GNL project is progressing with a Taiwanese partnership.
“I think it’s probably quite low on the list of priorities of China. They have a lot on their plate,” said David SacksAn expert in Taiwan and China and a scholarship holder for studies in Asia at the Council of Foreign Relations.
Sacks described Chinese correspondence with Dunleavy’s office as “quite pro form”, even if it seems strident. He also said that there was nothing unusual to an American governor or legislator going to Taiwan – and he noted that other states, such as Arizona, have done robust affairs with Taiwanese companies without causing China.
“I think it would be unprecedented enough for the Chinese to take aggressive measures here which specifically target Alaska,” he said.
Dunleavy’s trip to Taiwan last month came in the middle of a new push of its administration to recruit investments in the development of $ 44 billion in LNG. Trump senior officials also praised the project of Asian allies, and a private company, Glenfarne, resumed leadership of the development of a state agency.
Dunleavy’s trip also included stops in Thailand, South Korea and Japan, where he met politicians and business leaders.
But his visit to Taiwan made the headlines. In Taipei, Dunleavy met for an hour with President Lai Ching-Te and organized a lunch with the vice-president, according to his calendar. He also met Taiper officials, the main electric utility in the country and the state and gas company, CPC.
CPC has signed a letter of intent to not to buy a third of the LNG produced by the Alaska project, and the letter also plans to invest in development, according to a description by officials of the state gas pipeline. The letter itself is confidential, according to the agency.
The promoters of the Alaska LNG project, including Dunleavy and the American Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, say that investment in and gas purchases from development can provide Asian allies with a secure fuel source – with shorter transit than Middle East expeditions. Alaska gas imports would also reduce Taiwan’s trade deficit with the United States, which could stall the favor of Trump.
But it is still far from certain that the project will be built. The government of Alaska has spent decades studying the construction of a gas conduct and the current iteration of the project was obstinate by high costs projected.
Taiwanese investment in the project and any American commitment to the government of the island are also likely to repress China.
In a statement prepared for the Northern Journal, the spokesperson for the China Embassy in Washington, DC, Liu Pengyu, called Taiwan “an inalienable part of Chinese territory” and urged “the relevant American side” to stop all forms of official contact with Taiwan.
“China is firmly opposed to any form of official interaction between the United States and Taiwan, under a pretext or on any title,” said the press release.
Dunleavy, in the interview, said that he did not know how the Chinese government had become aware of its visit to the island.
They “wanted me to take the trip, apparently,” he said.
Dunleavy would not say directly if he recognizes the sovereignty of Taiwan, calling this “the biggest question busy”.
“These are human beings, 23 million people. They would like to have an excellent relationship with the United States,” he said. “We want to sell energy. They want energy. I would love to associate. “
Alaska has a long history of commerce with Taiwan, and other state officials have traveled there in recent years, including two state senators in 2024. Former governor Frank Murkowski has visited more than a dozen times, including as an observer one of the Taiwan’s presidential elections.
The Chinese response to Dunleavy’s trip, reported for the first time By the conservative news site must read Alaska, is “fairly buisaie,” said Sacks, the expert from the foreign relations council.
But his “disturbing” language could also be an attempt by the Chinese to challenge trade relations in Taiwan by an American official who does not know the tense dynamics of the island well, added bags, in comments that have been taken up by a statement from the United States Department of State.
“Around the world, including in the United States, the Chinese Communist Party is trying to take advantage of economic and diplomatic pressures to try to prevent civil servants from interacting with Taiwan,” the statement said. “Robust cooperative activities with Taiwan, including by heads of state, comply with American policy.”
The press release added that the CPC’s letter of intent “is another example of long-standing, deep and growing business ties between the United States and Taiwan, which create American jobs and mutual prosperity”.
Sacks said he considered the LNG project to be in the interests of the United States – both because of its Taiwan trade deficit potential and to give its inhabitants a more reliable energy supply.
But while Sacks described the risk of repercussions in Alaska as low, he would not exclude them completely. He underlined A recent movement By China, which asks the country’s airlines to stop accepting jet deliveries made by Boeing.
“The context could change now, because the Chinese are looking for means – in a way that they were not before – to punish the Trump administration for the prices,” said Sacks. “I wouldn’t be used.”
Nathaniel Herz hosts advice (protected by e-mail) or (907) 793-0312. This article was initially published in Northern Journal, a newsletter from Herz. Subscribe to this link.
Last update 5:04 am, April 19, 2025
