FACTBOX-Recent Taiwan visits by top U.S. officials Reuters 1/7/2021
Jan 7 (Reuters) - Kelly Craft, the U.S. ambassador at the United Nations, will visit Taiwan, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday, angering China, which claims the island as its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties.
This will be the third high-level U.S. visit to the democratic island since August, which have come as part of stepped up support by the Trump administration for Taiwan even in the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
Below are details of those trips:
ALEX AZAR
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar visited Taiwan on Aug. 9-12, the first Cabinet-level U.S. official to come since 2014 and the highest-level U.S. official to visit in four decades.
Booming Taiwan urges shippers not to jack up prices amid container shortage
Taiwan’s government has urged shipping companies not to unfairly push up their prices amid a global squeeze on shipping containers and a shortage of space on cargo ships, the transport ministry said on Friday.
Trade-dependent Taiwan, a tech powerhouse, has benefited from demand for telecommuting products like tablet computers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced millions to work and study from home.
The finance ministry said last week it saw 2020 exports hitting a record high.
The transport ministry’s Maritime and Port Bureau said the shipping container shortage was most severe on U.S. routes, and that it had met Taiwanese shipping companies on Dec. 1 to discuss the problem and ensure trade can flow.
UPDATE 1-Taiwan Nov export orders soar, very strong outlook seen reuters.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from reuters.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.