WASHINGTON • United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Andrew Wheeler is cancelling a planned trip to Taiwan next month that had threatened to stoke anger with Beijing, after concerns were raised about the costs of the travel near the end of the Trump administration.
"Due to pressing domestic priorities at home, Administrator Wheeler's visit to Taiwan has been postponed," EPA spokesman James Hewitt said on Tuesday in an e-mail.
Mr Wheeler's trip was originally planned following several high-level visits by US officials to Taiwan in recent months as well as stepped-up arms sales that have angered China.
Taiwan regretted the cancellation, Foreign Ministry spokesman Joanne Ou said in a text message yesterday, adding that Taipei would continue to promote future Cabinet-level visits and collaboration on environmental issues with the incoming Biden administration.
The visit had drawn scrutiny for its potentially high price tag, with a charter flight planned to ferry Mr Wheeler and other EPA staff to the island due to coronavirus concerns.
A separate trip by Mr Wheeler to Latin American countries, including possibly Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, is still expected just ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan 20.
Mr Hewitt said the EPA would be asking the agency's Inspector-General to probe the disclosure of details surrounding Mr Wheeler's Taiwan travel plans, after a New York Times report on the cost concerns.
"It is disturbing that a government official would leak deliberative schedules to The New York Times that could jeopardise both international diplomacy and personal security," Mr Hewitt said.
In August, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar became the highest-ranking US official to travel to Taiwan since the country broke off ties with Taipei in 1979. Undersecretary of State Keith Krach visited Taiwan a month later.
Both of those visits spurred angry reactions from Beijing, with Taiwan a focal point for spiralling tensions between the US and China. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and resists any recognition of its de facto independence.
And, as the US increases arms sales, China has vowed to take "necessary measures" to uphold its sovereignty and security interests, while urging the US to cease military contact with Taiwan.
Mr Wheeler had been invited to Taiwan to collaborate on environmental issues, including air quality and marine litter.
The trip was planned amid bipartisan US efforts to strengthen relations with Taiwan.
BLOOMBERG
