US Pentagon’s top China official travels to Taiwan, sources say
- The visit by deputy assistant secretary of defence Michael Chase could exacerbate tensions between Beijing and Washington
- China, which regards Taiwan as a wayward province that must be reunited with the mainland, has repeatedly demanded that foreign officials not visit the island
The Pentagon’s top China official, deputy assistant secretary of defence Michael Chase, has arrived in Taiwan, two sources familiar with matter said on Friday, beginning a visit that could exacerbate tensions between Beijing and Washington.
Both Taiwan’s Defence Ministry and the Pentagon declined to comment on the trip, which was first reported by the Financial Times.
“We don’t have a comment on specific operations … but I would highlight that our support for, and defence relationship with, Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the People’s Republic of China,” a Pentagon spokesperson said.
The sources offered no further details on Chase’s travel, and spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Speaking earlier, Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said he was “not very certain” about a report that the trip would take place.
Chiu, asked whether Chase would be coming, said “those who are friendly to us” are very welcome,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a parliament session.
“I won’t explain the details,” he said. “I won’t explain until I get formal notification.”
Chase would be the most senior US defence official known to have visited the island since 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic widely impacted US government travel.
China, which regards Taiwan as a wayward province that must be reunited with the mainland, has repeatedly demanded that foreign officials not visit the democratically governed island.
The US has no legal right to take military action over Taiwan
China and the United States are involved in a bitter dispute over the US military’s shooting down of what it called a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina this month. China says the balloon was for monitoring weather.
Speaking in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin reiterated that the government was firmly opposed to official interactions and military ties between the United States and Taiwan.
China staged war games near Taiwan last August to express its anger at a Taipei visit by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Although the United States, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, it is the island’s most important arms supplier and the two have a close security relationship.
In 2020, a two-star Navy admiral overseeing US military intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region made an unannounced visit to Taiwan.
