Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lifted communication restrictions between American and Taiwanese officials on Saturday. Pompeo said the restrictions had been imposed decades ago "in an attempt to appease the Communist regime in Beijing.”
More:
- Beijing claims Taiwan as its own territory. However, Taiwan's leaders claim it is a separate sovereign state.
- Chinese state media condemned the move and accused Pompeo of "seeking to maliciously inflict a long-lasting scar on China-U.S. ties.”
- The U.S. doesn't currently have any diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but the Trump administration has sold the island nation a record amount of weapons.
- On Thursday, Pompeo announced U.N. ambassador Kelly Craft would visit Taiwan this week. China criticized the move and said the U.S. was "playing with fire."
- The Trump administration has had a tense relationship with China, sparring over several issues such as COVID-19, Hong Kong, the South China Sea, and trade.
