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BEIJING / TAIPEI: China will provide a “necessary response” to a visit by US Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach to the Taiwan claimed by China, and filed a complaint with Washington, the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday (September 17). Foreign Relations before your arrival.
Krach, who will arrive in Taipei later on Thursday, will travel to Taiwan for a memorial service on Saturday for former President Lee Teng-hui, who was revered by many on the island and internationally as the father of Taiwan’s democracy.
Krach is expected to meet with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday.
READ: Another senior American official to visit Taiwan
His visit follows that of US Health Secretary Alex Azar last month, the highest-ranking US official to come to the democratic island in four decades.
In a speech in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that China has made “tough statements” to Washington about Krach’s trip and opposes any official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan.
The visit will help Taiwan’s independence forces and damage ties between China and the United States, Wang said.
“We urge the US side to fully recognize the extreme sensitivity of the Taiwan issue,” Wang said. “China will provide the necessary response depending on how the situation develops.”
He did not give details.
Relations between China and the United States have plummeted in recent months, with disagreements over Taiwan, trade, human rights, the coronavirus pandemic and other issues.
China views the President of Taiwan as a dangerous separatist. She says the island is already an independent country called the Republic of China, the formal name for Taiwan.
Krach is also likely to have at least some sort of business conversation during his trip, although no details have been announced.
Taiwan has long sought a free trade agreement with the United States, but Washington has complained about access barriers for U.S. pork and beef. Taiwan said that was for health reasons, especially with concerns about mad cow disease and additives.
However, late last month, Tsai said his government could ease restrictions on imports of pork and beef, allowing American pork containing ractopamine, an additive that improves leanness, and allowing the American beef from cattle older than 30 months.
But this has been met with internal objections. Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang, began collecting signatures for a referendum to block pork imports last weekend, saying ractopamine was a health threat.
