TAIPEI — U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar will visit Taiwan in coming days, his office said on Tuesday, making the highest-level visit by a U.S. official in four decades - a move likely to anger China, which claims the island as its own. Azar's visit will probably worsen already poor Beijing-Washington relations, inflamed over trade, the pandemic and human rights, even as Taiwan has welcomed the show of support in the face of unrelenting Chinese pressure. During his visit, Azar will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said, which may infuriate China further. "Taiwan has been a model of transparency and cooperation in global health during the COVID-19 pandemic and long before it," Azar said in a statement. "I look forward to conveying President Trump's support for Taiwan's global health leadership and underscoring our shared belief that free and democratic societies are the best model for protecting and promoting health."

Source: International New York Times August 05, 2020 03:56 UTC