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China angered China by sending a high-level diplomat to Taiwan


A top US diplomat will arrive in Taiwan on Thursday for a 40-year visit by the top State Department official to Washington's readiness to defend China and isolate its sovereign island. More symbols of the campaign are given.

China angered China by sending a high-level diplomat to Taiwan


The State Department said Secretary of State for Economic Development, Energy and Environment Keith Krach was in Taiwan late Saturday to attend a memorial service for President Li Teng Hui.

The trip, in several months, was the second high-ranking visit to the United States, which was immediately reprimanded’ by China, which gave Taiwan some sort of recognition and made it a point to back the democratic island. The policy is based’ on decades.

"China strongly opposes this," Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters on Thursday, adding that the trip "encourages the arrogant attitude of Taiwan's independence separatist forces."

Beijing considers Taiwan a part of its territory, absorbing it into its territory - by force, if necessary.

Relations between the United States and China have been at an all-time low for decades, with trade, military and security issues, as well as corona virus epidemics, clashing between the two sides.

Washington's growing reach in Taiwan, led by US President Donald Trump, has become another flashpoint between the two powers.

Announcing Krach's visit in a statement, spokesman Morgan Ortagus said, "The United States has honored President Lee's legacy by maintaining strong ties with Taiwan and its vibrant democracy through shared political and economic values.”

Krach, along with Assistant Secretary Robert Destro, will also discuss "ways to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation" during his three-day visit, Taiwan's foreign ministry said.

He described him as the highest-ranking State Department official to visit Taiwan since 1979, when Washington switched from Taipei to Beijing for diplomatic approval.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen will host a dinner for the US delegation on Friday.

"We look forward to further exchanges and talks between Taiwan and the United States to strengthen the foundation for further cooperation, including economic cooperation, through the visit of Under-Secretary-General Krach," his office said in a statement.

- Ambassador's meeting in New York -

Beijing has discouraged any official exchange with Taiwan, but in recent months Washington has dramatically increased its reach.

Last month, Alex Azar, a member of the U.S. Cabinet and head of health, visited Taiwan to highlight widely praised efforts to curb Code 19.

On Thursday, Taiwan's foreign ministry also confirmed that a rare meeting had taken place a day earlier between its top official in New York, James Lee, and Washington's ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Clark.

Beijing has stepped up diplomatic, economic and military pressure on Taiwan since the 2016 Sui election, rejecting the notion that the island is part of "One China."

In recent weeks, Taiwan has reported a sharp increase in intrusions by Chinese jets into its air defense identification zone.

On Thursday, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said two-day anti-submarine planes had crossed the border the day before and had been warned’ to leave.

Washington is the island's largest arms supplier but has historically been cautious in its official approach.

Trump has embraced Taiwan as a way to more closely support’ dictatorial Beijing, especially as he seeks re-election in November.

It has also approved the sale of some large arms, some of its recent predecessors were even more hesitant.

But so far the United States has not strayed from the unwritten red line on Taiwan, as it has not sent senior officials whose primary responsibility is foreign affairs or defense.

Li, who died in July in 1997 at the age of 97, was a key figure in Taiwan's history, once helping to transform a dictatorial island into a vibrant democracy and later annexed China. They were outraged’ by the insistence on recognition.

When news of his death broke, Chinese state media called him "the godfather of separatism in Taiwan."

With his economic focus on Taiwan's desire for a trade deal with the United States, Krach will visit.

Taiwan last month lifted a major hurdle by easing safety restrictions on US beef and pork - a key constituency for Trump as the election approaches, good news for farmers.

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