Beijing has labelled Mr Lai, who was elected in January, a “dangerous separatist”.
WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden will dispatch former US officials to Taiwan as its new president takes office, a show of support for the island calibrated to avoid enraging Beijing.
“The delegation will arrive this weekend in Taipei and during their visit the delegation will attend the May 20 inauguration ceremony and meet with a range of leading figures,” said a senior Biden administration official. The move is in line with past practice and represents no shift in US policy, the official said. “Beijing will be the provocateur should it choose to respond with additional military pressure or coercion.
Mr Biden, a Democrat, imposed new trade tariffs on a range of Chinese sectors on Tuesday, while Taiwan reported Chinese forces were carrying out their latest “combat patrol” near the island that same day. The US official said “we are in touch” with Taipei on the “content” of Mr Lai’s inauguration speech, reinforcing its long-standing policies on the topic.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
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