TAIPEI, Aug 5 — The United States announced today its “highest level” visit in decades to Taiwan, a move sure to infuriate China with relations between the two superpowers at historic lows. Washington's de facto embassy in Taipei confirmed that health chief Alex Azar would lead an upcoming...
US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar during a roundtable discussion on 'America's seniors' at the White House in Washington June 15, 2020. — Reuters pic
“This marks... the first Cabinet member to visit in six years, and the highest level visit by a US Cabinet official since 1979,” the American Institute in Taiwan said.It remains the leading arms supplier to the island but has historically been cautious in holding official contacts with it.“Secretary Azar is a long-time staunch friend of Taiwan,” the ministry said, describing his upcoming trip as “ample evidence of the solid foundation of mutual trust” between Washington and Taipei.
Trump also signed a new law in 2018 — passed with bipartisan support — upgrading relations and allowing more high-level visits to take place between senior US and Taiwanese officials. “Taiwan has been a model of transparency and cooperation in global health during the Covid-19 pandemic and long before it,” Azar said.It bristles at any contact between US and Taiwanese officials and has released multiple statements condemning Washington for its warming relations with Taipei.
“Beijing will strongly oppose the visit and will likely view it as further evidence of the Trump administration moving away from the 'one China policy',” Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP.
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