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On July 11, US Senator Lindsey Graham suddenly passed away from an aortic dissection. The 71-year-old Republican stalwart visited Taiwan on three occasions, and he played a role in Taiwan becoming a major non-NATO ally, meaning Taiwan enjoys military and financial advantages from the USA that are not available to non-NATO nations. President Lai also expressed his condolences on X, writing that Graham was “a true friend of Taiwan.”

On July 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wished US Senator Graham a happy belated birthday. Many found it hard to believe that this would be the Republican heavyweight’s last public appearance.

Anchor
CNN
It was a brief and sudden illness.

Graham became a senator back in 2003, and two decades later he served as one of Donald Trump’s closest political allies. After turning 71 on July 9, Graham ended up suddenly passing away just two days after his birthday.

Donald Trump (Jan. 23, 2023)
US President
A friend of mine for a long time. We don’t always agree, but that’s okay, too. But he’s a great guy, a great politician, actually, and a terrific person who loves your state.

One of the Republican presidential candidates for the 2016 election cycle, Graham exerted significant influence over his party. President Trump ordered flags nationwide to be flown at half-staff to honor the late US Senator Graham. President Lai Ching-te also posted a message on X that expressed he was “deeply saddened by the sudden passing” of Graham and that the US senator was “a true friend of Taiwan.”

Lindsey Graham (April 15, 2022)
Republican senator
What would America do if the communist Chinese invaded Taiwan? We’re here in this part of the world not to conquer, but to be a good ally. If America abandons Taiwan, it will change the world fundamentally for the worst.

Graham never wavered in his support for Taiwan. He visited Taiwan three times, including an April 2022 bipartisan congressional delegation he led that flew to Taiwan on a US military aircraft. Tsai Ing-wen was the president back during that visit, and the delegation was the first item on Tsai’s agenda after her home quarantine was finished. Graham introduced the Taiwan Policy Act of 2022, which was seen as a breakthrough for US-Taiwan relations, as it involved arms sales from the US.

Jean Kuo
Legislator (DPP)
I’m incredibly saddened to hear of his passing. Going forward, we’ll need to continue working with a bipartisan approach that involves up and coming American members of Congress. By not differentiating between Democrats and Republicans, we’ll be able to establish channels of communication that’ll ensure the efforts of those in the US Congress who support Taiwan will be able to continue to offer their support.

Graham’s office confirmed his cause of death was an aortic dissection. Graham had intended to run for a 5th term as senator, which is a goal that, like Graham’s sudden passing, ended on July 11.

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