Defense authorities from the United States and Taiwan held a secret meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, a few days before Chinese President Xi Jinping display the country’s military power at an international parade. The information is from Financial Times.
The meeting was attended by Jed Royal, the Pentagon’s main officer for the Indo-Pacific region, and Hsu Szu-Chien, Taiwan National Security Advisor.
The meeting took place months after the cancellation of a higher level meeting in Washington, which was partly suspended from concerns that it could harm a possible summit between President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
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The discretion of the meeting in Alaska reflects the US attempt to balance Taiwan support with the maintenance of commercial negotiations with China.
Experts say the Trump administration seeks to ensure security to Taiwan without compromising negotiations for a trade agreement and a summit with Beijing. The decision to hold the meeting in a less visible place with a reduced delegation was strategic to avoid unnecessary tensions.
Meanwhile, Taiwan faces internal challenges, including the need to approve a 23% record in the defense budget for next year, seeking to convince the US of their self -defense commitment.
