US admiral’s undercover visit to Taiwan certain to annoy China
- Taiwanese foreign ministry confirms arrival of US official but declines to provide details
- Donald Trump’s administration has ramped up support for Taiwan, including with new arms sales, alarming Beijing
Analysts said the visit of Rear Admiral Michael Studeman, director of intelligence at the command, was “unusual and unprecedented” and would further push Beijing to take a hardline approach towards the island.
The Taiwanese foreign ministry remained tight-lipped about the visit, refusing to disclose the name of the visiting official, who was identified by Reuters and several local media outlets. Studeman arrived on Sunday at around 7pm aboard a US Gulfstream C-37 which provides flights to senior US government officials and congressmen.
“There are frequent interactions between Taiwan and the United States, and we welcome the visit by the US official, but as this itinerary has not been made public, the foreign ministry has no further explanation or comment on his visit based on mutual trust between the two sides,” Joanne Ou, spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, said on Monday.
Taiwan’s defence ministry and the de facto US embassy in Taipei both declined to comment.
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Why has the relationship between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan taken a turn for the worse?
Taiwan’s United Daily News published pictures of an unmarked private jet, which it identified as a US military aircraft, arriving at Taipei’s downtown Songshan airport, and what appeared to be officials waiting at the VIP terminal.
