TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith Krach landed in Taiwan on Thursday afternoon (Sept. 17), the second high-ranking U.S. official to visit Taiwan in 2020.
Greeted by Director of the American Institute in Taiwan William Brent Christensen and officials from Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Krach descended from a chartered Gulfstream G-V jet at the Shung Shan Air Force Base in Taipei. During his three-day visit from Sept. 17-19, Krach will meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Friday (Sept. 18) as well as other governmental officials.
On Sept. 19, Krach will attend Taiwan's former President Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) memorial ceremony with Robert Destro, assistant secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the State Department.
Krach's visit followed a heated debate in Taiwan after the government announced the easing of import restrictions on U.S. beef and pork, which is said to have paved the way for both parties to negotiate and establish a bilateral trade agreement. On Aug. 31, the State Department's Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell confirmed the U.S. was ready to initiate a new bilateral dialogue with the island nation to explore a full spectrum of options for future economic relations.
Speaking with the press on Thursday, Taiwan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said the government would discuss with Krach related topics so as to be well-prepared for the upcoming economic talks, CNA reported.
Before accepting the position in the State Department, Krach said he had witnessed how the growth of China's economy was predicated on the suffering of American small business. He disclosed that the primary mission on which he was assigned by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was to safeguard the country's national security and counter China's economic warfare.
