TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and National Security Council Secretary General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) held closed-door security talks with Biden administration officials at the Washington headquarters of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on Tuesday (Feb. 21).
Wu and Koo arrived at the AIT's Washington headquarters in Virginia at 9:30 a.m. accompanied by Taiwan’s envoy to the U.S. Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and held talks with U.S. officials, reported CNA.
The U.S. officials in attendance included U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia Rick Waters, Assistant Secretary for Defense Ely Ratner, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China Michael Chase, who visited Taiwan last week.
It was also reported that U.S. National Security Council (NSC) Senior Director for China and Taiwan Laura Rosenberger, who is slated to take over as director of the AIT; Rush Doshi, NSC Senior Director for China and Taiwan; and Sandra Oudkirk, current director of AIT Taipei Office were also in attendance.
Sherman (center) attends talks. (CNA photo)
The U.S. NSC Indo-Pacific coordinator, Kurt Campbell, and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, joined the talks at 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively. The Financial Times on Feb. 18 reported that the meeting would be hosted by U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer and Sherman.
The talks lasted approximately seven hours and did not end until 5 p.m., but neither party issued a public statement about the meeting. Koo and Wu could be seen to be in good spirits as they waved to the media as they left the AIT after the discussions.
The newspaper reported that these discussions are part of a so-called "special channel" between the U.S. and Taiwan designed to avoid angering Beijing.
Wu and Koo happily wave at media after meeting. (CNA photo)
