The US is to send a delegation of former officials to Taiwan next week for the inauguration of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), a US official said, warning China against any retaliation.
The team attending the ceremony on Monday includes US President Joe Biden’s former National Economic Council director, Brian Deese, as well as Richard Armitage, a former deputy secretary of state in the George W. Bush administration.
Sending former officials was in keeping with more than 20 years of US practice when it came to Taiwan, the senior US administration official said.
Photo: Reuters
"Beijing will be the provocateur should it choose to respond with additional military pressure or coercion," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "We’ve been clear in our communications with Beijing that the US sending delegations, unofficial former USG [US government] delegations, is a long-standing practice."
During a visit to China last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked Beijing to avoid "provocative" measures during Lai’s inauguration.
Officially, the US and China are rebuilding ties following a tension-easing meeting between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in California last year.
Photo: CNA
However, the world’s two biggest economies remain deeply at odds over Taiwan, trade, technology and the Ukraine war.
Biden on Tuesday unveiled steep tariff hikes on Chinese imports, including electric vehicles and semiconductors, blasting Beijing for "cheating" rather than competing on trade.
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