Navy Commander Tang Hua (唐華) is to visit the US from next week to attend a military ceremony and discuss how to boost bilateral naval cooperation as China raises threats toward Taiwan, six people briefed on the trip said on Friday.
The six security sources said Tang would visit Hawaii, home of the US Indo-Pacific Command, for a Pacific Fleet change-of-command ceremony.
Three of them said Tang was then expected to attend the April 8 to 10 Sea-Air-Space conference near Washington and that talks were under way to arrange a meeting with the US chief of naval operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti.
Photo: CNA
The sources spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity given the trip's sensitivity.
Taiwan's navy and the Pentagon declined to comment.
Previous US trips by senior officers have included then-navy commander Lee Hsi-ming (李喜明) in 2015 and Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞), who last year attended a Taiwan-US defense industry conference in Virginia.
Tang's visit, two sources said, is part of a US effort, called the Joint Island Defence Concept, to coordinate with Taiwan, Japan and others to counter China's armed forces within the first island chain.
Taiwan and the US are trying to line up a Tang-Franchetti meeting, which has not been confirmed, said one source, a US official.
Tang on Tuesday accompanied President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to a navy base in Yilan County for a handover ceremony for two new Tuo Chiang-class corvette warships, which the navy calls "carrier killers" for their high maneuverability, stealthiness and anti-ship missiles.
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