Taiwan envoy’s meeting with Biden official a sign of how US regards Taipei and disregards Beijing’s warning
- Hsiao Bi-khim not only met US acting assistant secretary Sung Kim but both sides declared it publicly on social media
- Biden may regard US-Taiwan relations and US-China relations separately, without one affecting the other, says analyst
In a tweet on Wednesday, the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs revealed that the acting assistant secretary of state had a meeting with Hsiao, which indicated that “the US is deepening ties with Taiwan, a leading democracy and important economic and security partner”.
The bureau also posted a picture of Kim and Hsiao at the meeting. The island’s semi-official Central News Agency suggested it was taken inside the State Department building, citing a social media hint by Hsiao that “the photo speaks for itself”.
Hsiao responded in her tweet that she, Kim and his team talked on many issues but did not reveal what they talked about.
“I had a good meeting with acting assistant secretary Kim and his able team today, where we covered many issues of mutual interest, reflecting our strong and broad partnership. I also wished the team a happy Lunar New Year!” she tweeted.
“The US and Taiwan have continued to maintain close and smooth communication and deepen cooperation in various sectors, including political, economic and security areas,” the ministry’s spokeswoman Joanne Ou said.
She said Hsiao had also met Kim to “exchange opinions of mutual concerns and express their desires to deepen partnership on all areas between the two sides”.