A popular Chinese state-run newspaper has said China must prepare for "a direct military clash" over self-ruled Taiwan after a high-level U.S. official visited the island, angering Beijing.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Alex Wong became the first senior State Department official to visit Taiwan after President Donald Trump signed the Taiwan Travel Act, which encourages U.S. officials to travel to the island to meet their counterparts and vice versa.
Media reports quoted Wong as saying Wednesday in Taipei that the United States' commitment to Taiwan has never been stronger, and that it would work to get international organizations to work closer.