Raising Ante in War With China:

U.S. Sends Highest-Level Delegation to Taiwan

Date: 09 August 2020 - 21:59

News ID: ۸۱۵۴۵

TAIPEI (Dispatches) -- A senior member of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration landed in Taiwan Sunday for Washington’s highest level visit since switching diplomatic recognition to China in 1979, a trip Beijing has condemned.
During the three-day visit Health Secretary Alex Azar will meet President Tsai Ing-wen, who advocates Taiwan’s secession from China.
Azar is the most senior U.S. cabinet member to visit Taiwan in decades and his visit comes as relations between the world’s two biggest economic powers plunge to historic lows.
In recent days, Trump has ordered sweeping restrictions on popular Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat and the U.S. Treasury Department slapped sanctions on Hong Kong’s leader over a tough law that curbs dissent.
Beijing balks at any recognition of self-ruled Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory and vows to one day seize, by force if necessary. It has described Azar’s visit as a threat to "peace and stability”, while China’s defense minister warned against Washington making any "dangerous moves”.
As well as meeting Tsai, Azar will hold talks with his counterpart Chen Shih-chung and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.
The rapidly deteriorating relationship between Beijing and Washington comes as Trump seeks re-election in November. He is trailing in the polls to rival Joe Biden and has begun campaigning hard on an increasingly strident anti-Beijing message.
As public disapproval has grown for his handling of the epidemic, Trump has pivoted from his previous focus on striking a trade deal with China to blaming the country for the coronavirus crisis.
The two countries have clashed on a range of issues, from trade to espionage allegations and human rights such as the alleged incarceration of Uighur Muslims and the political crackdown in Hong Kong.
Washington remains the leading arms supplier to Taiwan but has historically been cautious in holding official contacts with it. Under Trump, relations with Taiwan have warmed dramatically and he has approved a number of major military sales, including F-16 fighter jets.
Douglas Paal, a former head of the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington’s de facto embassy, said the Trump administration was still paying heed to China’s red line -- that no U.S. official handling national security visit Taiwan.
Throughout the 1990s the United States sent trade officials to Taiwan with regularity. The difference this time, he said, is the context, with Azar travelling at a time when relations between Washington and Beijing have hit a new low.