UPDATE 2-Taiwan says U.S. environment protection head Wheeler to visit
TAIPEI, Nov 20- The Cabinet- level head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Wheeler, will visit Taiwan, the island’s premier said on Friday, in what will be the third visit by a senior U.S. official since August. China, which claims democratically-run Taiwan as its own territory, reacted with fury when the U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar came to Taipei in…
By Jeanny Kao and Yimou Lee
TAIPEI, Nov 20 (Reuters) – The Cabinet-level head of theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Andrew Wheeler, will visitTaiwan, the island’s premier said on Friday, in what will be thethird visit by a senior U.S. official since August.
China, which claims democratically-run Taiwan as its ownterritory, reacted with fury when the U.S. Health Secretary AlexAzar came to Taipei in August, followed by U.S. Undersecretaryof State Keith Krach in September, sending fighter jets near theisland each time.
The Trump administration has ramped up support for Taiwan,including with new arms sales, alarming China.
Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters Taiwan-U.S.interactions had been increasing.
“At the invitation of Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, the headof the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will come to Taiwan,to have bilateral discussions on international cooperation onenvironmental protection issues,” Su said.
The trip will “be further beneficial to the relationshipbetween the two countries”, Su added.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said Wu had extended the invite toWheeler last year, and that it would announce details at an”appropriate time”.
The EPA did not immediately respond to a request forcomment. The New York Times reported that Wheeler’s three-daytrip was scheduled for the week of Dec. 5.
The paper quoted James Hewitt, a spokesman for Wheeler, assaying the agency was still working through logistics but thatWheeler was invited to Taiwan “to collaborate on issuesincluding the Save our Seas initiative and marine litter, airquality, and children’s health”.
Former President Barack Obama’s then-EPA chief Gina McCarthyvisited Taiwan in 2014.
While Trump, a Republican, is a popular figure in Taiwan,the government has moved to allay concerns the incomingadministration of President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, willnot be as supportive.
Taiwanese officials have pointed out that support for Taiwanis bipartisan in the United States, and last week Taiwan’s defacto ambassador in Washington spoke by telephone with AntonyBlinken, a longtime confidant of Biden’s.(Reporting by Jeanny Kao and Yimou Lee; Additional reporting byDavid Brunnstrom in Washington; Writing by Ben Blanchard;Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Lincoln Feast.)
