Arrival in Taiwan of the US Secretary of Health, a visit condemned by Beijing

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The US Secretary in charge of Health, Alex Azar, begins this Sunday, August 9 an official three-day stay in Taiwan. This is the first visit by an American government official since 1979. It has also been condemned by Beijing.

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It is a most symbolic visit. A senior US government official arrived in Taiwan on Sunday August 9 at the head of the most eminent US delegation to the island since Washington ceased to recognize it in 1979. A visit condemned by Beijing.

This  historic shift  comes at a time when tensions are increasing between Beijing and Washington on many subjects, reports our correspondent in Taipei , Adrien Simorre.

Officially, Alex Azar, the US Secretary of Health, went to Taiwan, the democratic island of 24 million people regarded as a province of China, to understand the success of the Territory to coronavirus . Indeed, despite its proximity to China, Taiwan has only had seven deaths from Covid-19 and no case of transmission for three months.

But at the same time, this visit by a senior American official is above all a strong message sent to Beijing.

Meeting with the president, bête noire of China

The Chinese government, for its part, formally forbids its diplomatic allies to have any official meeting with members of the Taiwanese government, a government that it does not recognize and considers to be secessionist. A few days ago, the Chinese authorities presented Alex Azar's visit as a threat to “  peace and stability  ”.

But the Trump administration has chosen to ignore these threats. Alex Azar will meet several ministers and especially the Taiwanese president, Tsai-Ing Wen , bête noire of China who accuses him of seeking the formal independence of the island.

Since the start of the epidemic, the Trump administration's support for Taiwan has grown significantly. While some therefore see this visit as a new snub to China, for Taiwan, it remains a decisive step in its objective of normalizing its relations with the international community.

 ► To read also: The “small” neighbors of the “great” maritime China

(With AFP )

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• Taiwan
• United States
• China
• Diplomacy

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