Somalilandsun: The United States is sending its “highest level” visit in decades to Taiwan, a move thst has surely infuriated China at a time when relations between Washington and Beijing are at historic lows.
Washington’s trade office in Taipei confirmed that health chief Alex Azar would lead an upcoming delegation to the self-ruled island, which China’s communist leaders claim and and have vowed to one day seize.
“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.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry confirmed the trip and said Azar would meet the island’s foreign and health ministers.
The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979.
It remains the leading arms supplier to the island but has historically been cautious in holding official contacts with it.
That has changed dramatically under US President Donald Trump, who has started to embrace Taiwan more as a way to hit back at Beijing as the two superpowers increasingly clash.
The last cabinet-level trip to Taiwan was in 2014 when the then head of the Environmental Protection Agency visited.
The most recent before that was a trip in 2000 by a transport secretary under US President Bill Clinton.
From Beijing the Chinese government said that U.S. is “endangering peace” with high-level visit to Taiwan
For Somaliland which became the 16th country to establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan recently this high level US visit to Taipei is very significant especially at this time when rumours has it that the prolonged stay in Hargeisa by Chinese envoy to Somalia ambassador Qin Jian is related to arrangements for courtesy call by senior MOFA officials from Beijing, whose objective is to derail the Somaliland Taiwan diplomatic overtures that might lead to mutual recognition
