Taipei: US Secretary for Health, Alex Azar, reached Taiwan on Sunday for a three-day visit. Azar becomes the highest-ranked US official and leader to visit Taiwan since the United States severed political ties with Taiwan in 1979. China has severely criticised this visit of the US Secretary for Health and has warned that the United States should not risk spoiling relations with China, by taking steps to encourage Taiwanese freedom. Against this background, reports have already been published that the United States will be supplying drones to Taiwan.
US Secretary for Health Alex Azar landed at the Taipei airport in Taiwan on Sunday evening, along with his delegation. Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-Kwang and US diplomatic representative Brent Christenson were present at the airport to welcome Azar. Secretary for Health, Azar will be in Taiwan for three days, and he is scheduled to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and other senior leaders and officials. The effective measures taken by Taiwan to control the Coronavirus pandemic and bilateral issues will be discussed during these meetings. It is being informed that an agreement regarding cooperation for Coronavirus pandemic may also be signed during the visit.
The visit of the US Secretary of Health to Taiwan is considered to be a major jolt delivered by US President Donald Trump to China. The United States has initiated an aggressive political war against China over the Coronavirus pandemic issue. The United States has delivered severe jolts to China over sensitive issues like Hong Kong, Uyghurs, South China Sea and trade. Even after being warned that the US relations with China will be at stake, the Trump administration has not blunted the edge of his actions. The policy adopted by Trump regarding Taiwan only endorses this.
President Trump has adopted a more active stand on the cooperation with Taiwan. The diplomatic office started by the United States in Taiwan, meeting between the US National Security Advisor and the Taiwanese officials and increasing defence cooperation are considered to be a part of the stand taken by Trump. President Trump took the historic decision to supply fighter jets to Taiwan after three decades. Following that, Taiwan is being supplied with advanced missiles, torpedoes and other advanced defence systems. The United States has also increased its naval deployment in the marine region near Taiwan, and along with aircraft carriers, the movements of destroyers, surveillance aeroplanes and fighter jets also have increased.
Only a few days ago, a bill Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act, for allowing the United States to take military action against Chinese aggression on Taiwan has been presented in the US Congress. The Taiwanese Ambassador to the United States recently met the officials from the US state department. The statement issued thereafter asserted that currently, the relations between the United States and Taiwan are the strongest. The joint statement issued, after the high-level meeting between the United States and Australia, had a special mention of Taiwan. President Trump has delivered a clear message that the United States does not pay any heed to the Chinese threats by sending the US Secretary for Health to Taiwan.
Meanwhile, the US department of state has approved the supply of advanced Sea Guardian Surveillance Drones to Taiwan. These surveillance drones having a range of more than 11,000 kilometres can be equipped with missiles. It is said that this deal will be worth nearly USD 600 million. A few months ago, Taiwan had demanded armed drones from the United States. China has criticised that the possible US supply of drones to Taiwan is against the One China Principle.
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