US plans for visits to Taipei irk China

TAIPEI: The United States announced on Wednesday its highest-level visit to Taiwan since it switched diplomatic recognition to China four decades ago, a move Beijing blasted as a threat to “peace and stability”.

The visit, which will be headed by health chief Alex Azar, comes as relations between the world’s two biggest powers plunge to historic lows.

“This marks... the first Cabinet member to visit in six years, and the highest level visit by a US Cabinet official since 1979,” said Washington’s de facto embassy, the American Institute in Taiwan, with no date yet given for the visit.

The US recognised Beijing over Taiwan in 1979. Washington remains the leading arms supplier to the island but has historically been cautious in holding official contacts with it.

Beijing views Taiwan as its own territory — vowing to one day seize it — and it bristles at any moves by other countries to recognise or communicate with Taipei.

“China firmly opposes official exchanges between the US and Taiwan,” Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said as he called for the visit to be cancelled.

“We urge the US to abide by the one-China principle... to avoid seriously endangering Sino-US relations, as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” Taiwan’s foreign ministry said Azar would meet President Tsai Ing-wen, describing the trip as “ample evidence of the solid foundation of mutual trust” between Washington and Taipei.

Relations have warmed dramatically under President Donald Trump, who has used embracing democratic Taiwan more closely as a way to hit back at authoritarian Beijing as he clashes with China’s leaders on a host of issues, including trade and the pandemic.

Taiwan’s success at stopping its own virus outbreak has also earned the island growing bipartisan support in Washington.

Tsai phoned Mr Trump in 2016 to congratulate him on his election win, making him the first president to speak directly with a Taiwanese leader since 1979.