Taipei, Taiwan

U.S. official visits: Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar this week became the highest-ranking American official to visit Taiwan since the U.S. broke formal ties with the island nation in 1979. Azar congratulated Taiwan on its success in containing the coronavirus, crediting “the open, transparent, democratic nature of Taiwan’s society and culture,” while he criticized China for covering up its initial outbreak in Wuhan. Taiwan’s sense of security largely depends on U.S. commitments to its defense, and so the visit was a diplomatic coup for the island. Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province, emphasized its opposition to Azar’s visit by sending two fighter jets toward the island before the meeting and stepping up military drills around the region.