The US secretary of Health and Human Services is scheduled to visit Taiwan in coming days in the highest-level visit by an American Cabinet official since the break in formal diplomatic relations between Washington and Taipei in 1979.
The visit by Alex Azar, and especially a planned meeting with Taiwan’s president, will likely create new friction between the US and China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary.
Taiwan is a key irritant in the troubled relationship between the world's two largest economies, which are also at odds over trade, technology, territorial claims in the South China Sea and China's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China has lodged “solemn complaints" over the visit with US officials in both Beijing and Washington.
“The Taiwan issue is the most important and sensitive issue in China-US relations," Wang said at a daily briefing. He said Washington needs to stop all forms of official contact with Taiwan and make good on its commitment to Beijing to “avoid serious damage to China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."
The US maintains only unofficial ties with Taiwan in deference to Beijing, but is the island’s most important ally and provider of defense equipment.
The American Institute in Taiwan, which operates as Washington’s de facto embassy on the island, said Wednesday that Azar’s “historic visit will strengthen the US-Taiwan partnership and enhance US-Taiwan cooperation to combat the global COVID-19 pandemic.”
In a tweet, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it looks forward to welcoming Azar and his delegation. “This is the highest-level visit by a US Cabinet official since 1979! Taiwan and the US are like-minded partners cooperating closely in combating coronavirus and promoting freedom democracy & human rights worldwide.”
The ministry said Azar will meet with independence-minded President Tsai Ing-wen, with whose government Beijing cut off virtually all contacts four years ago, and with Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and top health officials.
AIT said Azar will discuss the disease, global health and Taiwan’s role as a supplier of medical equipment and technology.
The visit is believed to be scheduled for next week, although AIT said details on the timing and agenda would be announced later.
Azar would be the first HHS secretary to visit Taiwan and the first Cabinet member to visit in six years, the last being then-Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy. His Cabinet ranking is higher than previous US visitors.
“Taiwan has been a model of transparency and cooperation in global health during the COVID-19 pandemic and long before it,” Azar said in the AIT statement. “This trip represents an opportunity to strengthen our economic and public health cooperation with Taiwan, especially as the United States and other countries work to strengthen and diversify our sources for crucial medical products.”
