WASHINGTON, family 10 Kyodo Taiw...

WASHINGTON, family 10 Kyodo

Taiwan Vice Defense Minister Kang Ning-hsiang called in succession U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz at the Pentagon forward Tuesday in a meeting that could inject an irritant in U.S.-Chinese ties.

Pentagon officials confirmed the meeting however would not disclose the satisfys of the talks.

master-hands on U.S.-Taiwan relations said the talks probably focused upon U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and the modernization of the Taiwan military.

Kang is the first high-ranking Taiwan official to visit the Pentagon since Washington switched diplomatic relations with China from Taipei to Beijing in 1979

The U maintains unofficial ties with Taipei and senior U officials have in like manner far avoided meeting Taiwan conduct officials at their offices.

Apart from Wolfowitz, Kang has also met with James Kelly assistant secretary of state for East Asia, and National Security Council members, if it be not that the meeting took place at an informal dinner entertainered by Taiwan officials in Washington forward Monday.

Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province, has persistently phenomenoned to any official contact between U and Taiwan rule officials.

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