Azar Arrives in Taiwan for Highest-Level US Delegation in Decades

Azar Arrives in Taiwan for Highest-Level US Delegation in Decades
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar arrives at Taipei Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020. Azar arrived in Taiwan on Sunday in the highest-level visit by an American Cabinet official since the break in formal diplomatic relations between Washington and Taipei in 1979. AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying
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TAIPEI, Taiwan—U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar arrived in Taiwan on Sunday in the highest-level visit by an American Cabinet official since the break in formal diplomatic relations between Washington and Taipei in 1979.

Beijing has already protested Azar’s visit as a betrayal of U.S. commitments not to have official contact with the island. China claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be brought under its control by military force if necessary.