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WORLD NEWS Thursday 6 augusT 2020
U.S. sending highest official to Taiwan since ties cut in 1979

By JOHNSON LAI of transparency and co-
Associated Press operation in global health
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The during the COVID-19 pan-
U.S. secretary of Health and demic and long before it,"
Human Services is sched- Azar said in the AIT state-
uled to visit Taiwan in com- ment. "This trip represents
ing days in the highest-level an opportunity to strength-
visit by an American Cabi- en our economic and pub-
net official since the break lic health cooperation with
in formal diplomatic rela- Taiwan, especially as the
tions between Washington United States and other
and Taipei in 1979. countries work to strength-
The visit by Alex Azar, and en and diversify our sources
especially a planned meet- for crucial medical prod-
ing with Taiwan's president, ucts."
will likely create new fric- Azar's visit was facilitated
tion between the U.S. and by the 2018 passage of the
China, which claims Taiwan Taiwan Travel Act that en-
as its own territory to be an- couraged sending higher-
nexed by force if neces- level officials to Taiwan af-
sary. Taiwan is a key irritant ter decades during which
in the troubled relationship such contacts were rare
between the world's two and freighted with safe-
largest economies, which In this Feb. 7, 2020, file photo, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who is also chair- guards to avoid roiling ties
man of the President's Task Force on the Novel Coronavirus, speaks at the Health and Human
are also at odds over Services headquarters in Washington. with Beijing.
trade, technology, territori- Associated Press McCarthy's visit to Taiwan
al claims in the South China in 2014 sparked a protest
Sea and China's response The U.S. maintains only un- by a U.S. Cabinet official ship & shared values." from China's foreign minis-
to the coronavirus pan- official ties with Taiwan in since 1979! Taiwan and the AIT said Azar will discuss the try, which accused the U.S.
demic. deference to Beijing, but is U.S. are like minded part- disease, global health and of betraying commitments
In Beijing, foreign ministry the island's most important ners cooperating closely Taiwan's role as a supplier made to it about maintain-
spokesman Wang Wenbin ally and provider of de- in combating coronavirus of medical equipment and ing only unofficial links with
said China has lodged "sol- fense equipment. and promoting freedom technology. Taipei.
emn complaints" over the The American Institute in democracy & human rights The visit is believed to be China objects to all official
visit with U.S. officials in both Taiwan, which operates worldwide." scheduled for next week, contact between Taiwan
Beijing and Washington. as Washington's de facto The ministry said Azar will although AIT said details and the U.S. But its increas-
"The Taiwan issue is the embassy on the island, said meet with independence- on the timing and agenda ing diplomatic pressure, in-
most important and sensi- Wednesday that Azar's minded President Tsai Ing- would be announced later. cluding poaching Taiwan's
tive issue in China-U.S. rela- "historic visit will strengthen wen, with whose govern- Azar would be the first HHS few remaining diplomatic
tions," Wang said at a daily the U.S.-Taiwan partnership ment Beijing cut off virtually secretary to visit Taiwan allies and excluding it from
briefing. He said Washing- and enhance U.S-Taiwan all contacts four years ago, and the first Cabinet mem- international gatherings in-
ton needs to stop all forms cooperation to combat and with Foreign Minister ber to visit in six years, the cluding the World Health
of official contact with Tai- the global COVID-19 pan- Joseph Wu and top health last being then-Environ- Assembly, have fostered al-
wan and make good on demic." officials. mental Protection Agency ready considerable bipar-
its commitment to Beijing In a tweet, Taiwan's Minis- Tsai tweeted to Azar that Administrator Gina McCar- tisan sympathy for Taipei in
to "avoid serious damage try of Foreign Affairs said it "Your timely visit is another thy. His Cabinet ranking is Washington and prompted
to China-U.S. relations and looks forward to welcoming testament to the strong Tai- higher than previous U.S. new measures to strength-
peace and stability across Azar and his delegation. wan-US partnership based visitors. en governmental and mili-
the Taiwan Strait." "This is the highest-level visit on our longstanding friend- "Taiwan has been a model tary ties. q

Australian leader says U.S.-China war no longer inconceivable

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Morrison said his adminis- edged that what was pre-
— Australia's Prime Minis- tration had expressed simi- viously inconceivable and
ter Scott Morrison said on lar views in a defense poli- not considered even possi-
Wednesday his govern- cy update last month when ble or likely in terms of those
ment held a less dramatic he announced 270 billion types of outcomes is not
view of U.S.-China strate- Australian dollars ($190 bil- considered in those con-
gic tensions than a prede- lion) in new warfare capa- texts anymore," he added.
cessor who warned of a bility spending, including Morrison disagreed with
potential "hot war" before longer-range missiles. many in Washington that
U.S. presidential elections "Our defense update ex- the United States was in a
in November. Former prime presses it differently and new Cold War with China.
minister and China scholar certainly not as dramati- Morrison said the "circum-
Kevin Rudd wrote in the cally as Kevin," Morrison stances are quite different."
Foreign Affairs journal this told the Aspen Security He had no answers for how
week that the risk of armed Forum in an online address China's push for power in Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks during a virtual
conflict between the Unit- from the Australian capital the South China Sea, on summit meeting with Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James
ed States and China in the Canberra. the Indian border and in Marape at Parliament House in Canberra, Wednesday, Aug. 5,
next three months was "es- "But in our own defense Hong Kong should be han- 2020.
pecially high." update, we've acknowl- dled. q Associated Press