TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) administration sent top officials for closed-door talks with US counterparts in the greater Washington, D.C. area this week.

The Financial Times (FT) on Thursday (Aug. 22) cited multiple sources as saying that National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung  (林佳龍) are visiting the Washington area this week for talks with US officials. This marks the first high-level delegation from Taiwan since Lai took office in May.

FT said that the sources did not disclose the specific location or timing of the meetings. Both the White House and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US declined to comment.

The report noted that these types of talks have existed for many years and are part of a unique diplomatic dialogue between the US and Taiwan, often referred to as the "special channel." This channel provides a rare opportunity for in-depth discussions between high-ranking officials from both countries.

The report also mentioned that successive US administrations have kept this sensitive dialogue confidential to avoid criticism from Beijing. It was only after the Financial Times reported on it in 2021 that the existence of the dialogue was made public. 

That year, Wu, then foreign minister, led a Taiwanese delegation to meet with US officials in Annapolis, Maryland.

The most recent special channel meeting took place in February 2023, when Wu and then-National Security Council Secretary-General, now Minister of National Defense, Wellington Koo (顧立雄) met with US officials at the Washington headquarters of the American Institute in Taiwan in Arlington, Virginia.

The report noted that, according to long-standing practice, Taiwan's foreign and defense ministers are not allowed to enter Washington, D.C., so these meetings typically take place in the greater Washington area.