Copyright
EPA
Mr Azar said Taiwan needed to be recognized as a global leader in health
A U.S. cabinet member met the president of Taiwan on Monday – a move that angered China and heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar is the highest-ranking U.S. politician to hold meetings on the island for decades.
Taiwan is in any case an independent state, but China considers it a burglary province.
China urges the US to respect what it called its “one China” principle.
“China is firmly opposed to any official interaction between the US and Taiwan,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said when the visit was announced last week.
“We urge the US … not to send the wrong signals to elements of ‘Taiwan independence’ to prevent serious damage to relations between China and the US.
Mr. Azar, who arrived on the island a day before meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen, said there were “three hot topics” for the visit.
“The first is to recognize Taiwan as an open and democratic society, with the implementation of a very successful and transparent Covid-19 response,” he said.
“The second is to reaffirm Taiwan as a longtime partner and friend of the United States.
“The third is to note that Taiwan deserves to be recognized as a global health leader with an excellent track record of contributing to international health.”
Copyright
Reuters
Taiwan’s response to the coronavirus has been praised, but it is not a member of the WHO
Although the US does not have a formal diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 allows the US to sell arms to the island, obliging them to “close relations”.
Taiwan has confirmed fewer than 480 Covid-19 cases and just seven deaths.
It canceled Wuhan’s flights on January 23 – before most other countries – introduced quarantine for other arrivals, and was able to detect and detect infections.
Taiwan is not a member of the World Health Organization because it is not recognized by China or the United Nations.
On December 31, the government in Taiwan asked the WHO for more information about the virus, but said it received no response.
It was seized by President Trump in April, in a tweet criticizing the WHO.
The WHO said the Taiwanese email “did not mention human-to-human transmission”.
