U.S. Official Invited To Visit Taiwan

From Reuters:

U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has been invited to Taiwan in what would be Washington’s first high-level visit to the island since 2000, officials said Tuesday.

China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong’s forces won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists (KMT) fled to the island.

Beijing asks that its diplomatic allies, including Washington, avoid official contact with Taiwan.