US-Taiwan economic dialog cut from Krach visit after premature media exposé
Premature media coverage appears to have derailed a much-awaited economic dialog between the United States and Taiwan scheduled to take part during the trip of a senior American diplomat starting on Thursday.
Under Secretary of State Keith Krach was visiting Taipei to attend the farewell ceremony of the late former Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui, according to the U.S. Department of State.
Krach, who oversees economic growth, energy and the environment, is the second-highest-ranking incumbent Washington official to travel to the self-ruled island since diplomatic relations with Taipei ceased in 1979. His ongoing three-day trip follows on the heels of a visit by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar in the second week of August.
The U.S. said that it would continue to maintain a strong relationship with Taiwan and its vigorous democracy, by sharing political and economic values in the memory of the late Taiwanese president’s political legacy.
Media outlets in Taiwan reported that Krach would also host a U.S.-Taiwan bilateral economic dialog on Friday, and might meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen as well. However, since the revelation of those plans, the dialog seems to have been called off while some of the public activities scheduled on the itinerary will be held behind closed doors instead.
Citing sources, Apple Daily Taiwan said the Taiwanese government in early August proposed to the U.S. that it hoped to have officials sent to Taiwan to mourn Lee, who died in late July aged 97. Washington decided to send a delegation that would be led by Krach and was to include Robert Destro, assistant secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and Kelley Currie, ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues.
However, it does not seem to be the case presently. The paper noted that some Taiwanese media rattled Washington by reporting about the economic dialog in the weeks leading up to the trip, at a time when the plans were still considered by the U.S. government as being at an initial stage. The unwanted publicity led to the unusually low-key trip by Krach, it added.
Relations between Washington and Taipei have warmed greatly in recent months. After 14 years, Tsai last month lifted long-standing restrictions on U.S. beef and pork imports in hopes of paving the way for a bilateral trade pact.
According to the news agency Reuters, the U.S. is planning to sell as many as seven major military weapons and types of equipment to Taiwan, including mines, cruise missiles and drones, in an effort to ramp up pressure on China.
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