[Global Network Report] "This will be the first visit to Taiwan by a U.S. cabinet official in six years." On the 5th, many Taiwanese media hyped up such news because the U.S. "Wall Street Journal" broke the news that U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Asia Alex Azar plan

Source: Global Network

[Global Network Report] "This will be the first visit to Taiwan by a US cabinet official in six years." On the 5th, many Taiwanese media hyped such news because the US " Wall Street Journal " broke the news , U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar plans to lead a delegation to visit Taiwan in the next few days. Media on the island claimed that this was the highest-level U.S. cabinet official to visit Taiwan since 1979.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar (Source: Taiwan's "Central News Agency")

The Wall Street Journal said that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans to announce Azar later on Tuesday. Will visit Taiwan in the next few days. This will be the first visit to Taiwan by a U.S. cabinet official in six years. The report also mentioned that Azar said in a statement that the purpose of his trip was to show U.S. President Donald Trump's support for Taiwan and to affirm Taiwan's leadership in responding to the COVID-19 epidemic. force. The Wall Street Journal also claimed that "this visit may anger China."

6 years ago, in April 2014, Gina McCarthy, the director of the Environmental Protection Agency of the Obama administration, led a delegation to visit Taiwan. The Taiwanese authorities said that this was the first visit in 14 years. This is the first time a U.S. government cabinet member has visited Taiwan. At that time, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs once said that the visit of the US Environmental Protection Agency Director to Taiwan for whatever purpose violated the principles of the three Sino-US joint communiqués and the commitments made by the United States to China on the Taiwan issue. We are firmly opposed to and strongly dissatisfied with it, and have made solemn representations to the United States in this regard.

Taiwan's "Central News Agency" and other island media also reported on Azar's plan to lead a delegation to Taiwan. "Central News Agency" stated that the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said today that US Health Secretary Azar will visit Taiwan in the near future. Azar is the first U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to visit Taiwan, the first U.S. Cabinet member to visit Taiwan in six years, and the highest-ranking U.S. Cabinet official to visit Taiwan since 1979.

Screenshot of Taiwan media report

The report mentioned that Azar will meet with Taiwan’s senior public health officials, COVID-19 medical staff and experts, and other Taiwan partners on behalf of US President Trump. "Central News Agency" also stated that AIT mentioned that Trump signed the "Taiwan Travel Act" in 2018, aiming to send high-level US officials to Taiwan to reaffirm the "US-Taiwan friendship" and so on, and "this visit is the basis of this US policy." a link."

Taiwan's foreign affairs department responded quickly this morning, saying "Welcome Azar to visit Taiwan" and claiming that during his stay in Taiwan he will "meet" Tsai Ing-wen and "call on" Taiwan's head of foreign affairs department Joseph Wu and Taiwan's "Minister of Health and Welfare" Chen Shizhong visited the Taiwan Epidemic Command Center and talked with medical and health experts on the island to strengthen "Taiwan-US epidemic prevention and medical and health cooperation."

Taiwan’s foreign affairs department also mentioned that Azar’s visit to Taiwan is the second time the United States has sent an official to Taiwan since 2014. It is also the highest-level U.S. official to visit Taiwan since 1979. It also claimed that "it proves that with the joint efforts of Taiwan and the United States in recent years, the foundation of mutual trust between the two sides is solid and communication is smooth."

The United States has been making small moves on Taiwan-related issues. Trump has signed a number of important Taiwan-related bills since taking office, including the so-called "Taiwan Travel Act" that encourages exchanges of visits between "officials" at all levels in the United States and Taiwan. After the outbreak of the new coronavirus this year, the United States and Taiwan took this opportunity to intensify their ties. In April this year, Taiwan's "Minister of Health and Welfare" Chen Shizhong had a phone call with Azar.

After Trump signed the so-called "Taiwan Travel Act" on March 16, 2018 local time in the United States, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs once stated: We firmly oppose the signing of the "Taiwan Association Act" by the United States and have submitted it to the United States. Negotiate solemnly. As China has pointed out many times, although the relevant provisions of the case are not legally binding, they seriously violate the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-US joint communiqués, and send a seriously wrong signal to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. We are firmly opposed to this. China urges the United States to correct its mistakes, stop official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan, enhance substantive relations, and handle Taiwan-related issues prudently and properly to avoid serious damage to China-U.S. relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait region.

Ministry of National Defense spokesman Wu Qian also said that Taiwan is part of China and the Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affairs.Although the relevant provisions of this case are not legally binding, they seriously violate the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-US joint communiqués, interfere in China's internal affairs, and damage the development atmosphere of the relations between the two countries and the militaries of China and the United States. China requires the United States to abide by its commitments, correct its mistakes, not implement the relevant provisions of the above-mentioned bill, stop official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan, cease military contacts between the United States and Taiwan, and stop selling arms to Taiwan, so as to avoid causing serious damage to the relations between the two countries and their militaries and the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. .