US health chief offers strong support to Taiwan during historic visit

The United States Health Secretary Alex Azar on August 9 arrived in Taiwan, where he met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and conveyed support on behalf of her US counterpart Donald Trump. According to reports, Azar also praised Taiwan's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which had been among the best in the world. Azar's three-day-long trip has already provoked China, which has criticised the US' move and warned of retaliatory action. China claims Taiwan as its province and the United States recognises it under the 'One China' policy as the later broke official ties with Taipei in 1979 in favour of Beijing. 

Read: US Health Secretary Alex Azar To Meet Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen During His Visit

Historic first visit in decades

Azar is the first high-profile US politician to visit the self-ruled island in four decades and the 'highest-level' visit comes amid the deteriorating relations between Washington and Beijing. Azar during his meeting with the Taiwanese president told her that there are three themes of his visit - one is to recognise Taiwan as a global leader in health because of its excellent handling of the pandemic, second is to reaffirm Taiwan as a long partner and friend of the United States in order to highlight both the countries' history of broad collaboration on public health. The third is recognise Taiwan as an open and democratic society. Azar's comment came in the backdrop of the United States supporting Taiwan's entry in the World Health Assembly, which the WHO's decision making body. 

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President Tsai Ing-wen thanked Azar for the United States' support for Taiwan's entry at the World Health Assembly and also said that his visit is a huge step forward in anti-pandemic collaboration between both the nations. Tsai Ing-wen further added that Taiwan and the United States collaborate in areas such as vaccine and drug research. Taiwan, which is officially known as the Republic of China, lost its UN seat in 1971 following which many countries cut diplomatic ties with the island nation in favour of the People's Republic of China. The nationalists, who controlled most of China until 1949 had to retreat to Taiwan after the Communist Party of China, the current ruling party of PRC, gained control following a civil war. 

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