Taiwan's top security official in secret talks with Trump administration amid rising tensions with China

Taiwan's top national security official, Joseph Wu, is in the Washington area for secretive talks with the Trump administration as China intensifies military pressure on Taiwan. Wu, Taiwan’s national security adviser and former foreign minister, is leading a delegation for a meeting known as the “special channel.”

The talks mark the first use of the channel since Donald Trump returned to the US presidency in January, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The “special channel,” which has been in use for years, was first revealed by the Financial Times in 2021. The US and Taiwan do not openly discuss the channel, which serves as a forum for both sides to address security issues. Washington has kept the channel confidential to avoid provoking Beijing, which frequently criticizes US ties with Taiwan.

Despite severing official relations with Taiwan in 1979 when it recognized Beijing’s sovereignty, Washington maintains unofficial relations with Taipei under the “one China” policy. The US acknowledges Beijing as the sole government of China, without accepting its claim to Taiwan.

Wu’s arrival in the US comes as China’s military and coastguard have ramped up large-scale exercises around Taiwan. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been conducting increasingly sophisticated maneuvers, raising concerns in Washington. In February, Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of US Indo-Pacific command, warned that these exercises could serve as “rehearsals for the forced unification of Taiwan.” He stated, “Their aggressive manoeuvres around Taiwan right now are not exercises as they call them, they are rehearsals.”

Wu, along with Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, previously visited Washington in August 2024 for the first “special channel” discussions following the election of Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te. Taiwan's de facto embassy, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, declined to comment on the talks, and the White House also offered no comment.

This meeting also comes amid upheaval within the National Security Council (NSC) after Trump fired several officials. Trump’s allies are pushing to remove NSC staff they see as too willing to engage in foreign military interventions.

By Vafa Guliyeva