U.S., Taiwan in Talks on Potential Visit of Trump's EPA Chief

[left-of-center2012]

The U.S. and Taiwan are in talks on a visit to the island by the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in what would be the third trip by a senior American official this year. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler will visit Taiwan next month, the New York Times reported Friday, citing unidentified sources. When asked about the report, Taiwanese Premier Su Tseng-chang indicated a visit could happen.

“We’d welcome a visit by the head of the U.S. EPA at the invitation of Foreign Minister Joseph Wu for bilateral discussions on international cooperation on environmental issues,” Su said in response to questions from reporters. “It will further improve ties between the two sides.”

In August, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar became the highest-ranking U.S. official to travel to Taiwan since the U.S. broke off ties with Taipei in 1979. A month later, Undersecretary of State Keith Krach visited Taiwan.

Both visits prompted angry reactions from Beijing, with Taiwan a key point of spiraling tensions between the world’s two largest economies on fronts from trade to the coronavirus.

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[gratuitous]

1. After sitting on their rumps all year

The Trump administration has suddenly gotten quite active now that they're on their way out in two months. Curious, isn't it?

[spanone]

2. We still have an EPA?

[soryang]

3. part of a scorched earth policy

to lock the US into a hostile relationship with China that will be very difficult to mediate diplomatically.