Taipei: A senior US State Department official is arriving in Taiwan on Thursday for a three-day visit, prompting a threat of possible retaliation from China.
US Undersecretary of State Keith Krach is to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and other senior officials, the island’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Krach, who holds the portfolio for economic growth, energy and the environment, is the highest-level official from the State Department to visit the island in decades.His visit follows a high-profile visit in August by US Health Secretary Alex Azar, who was the highest-level US Cabinet official to visit since the break in formal ties between the US and Taiwan in 1979, when the US switched relations to Beijing.
However, the US has maintained unofficial ties with Taiwan since the official diplomatic break and is the island’s most important ally and provider of defence equipment. (PTI)
