Chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Tsai Ing-wen, has met with high-ranking US officials during her visit to Washington DC.
The opposition leader is the DPP’s candidate for the 2016 presidential election. She is currently on a six-city tour of the United States. Tsai and Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken met for about an hour on Wednesday, local time.
During the meeting, the two exchanged views on issues such as cross-strait ties, trade and commerce, national defense, and Taiwan’s bid to participate in international organizations.
When asked by reporters whether the meeting held at the State Department signaled a more preferential treatment granted by Washington, Tsai gave a low-key answer.
"We think the meeting went well. We talked about the issues that we wanted to talk about and both sides understood each other’s positions. Here’s one simple fact: I went into the [building]," said Tsai.
Taiwanese media called Tsai’s entering the State Department a breakthrough. An unconfirmed report says Tsai also met with National Security Adviser Susan Rice at the White House on the same day.
Taiwan and the United States do not have formal diplomatic relations. Generally, presidential candidates from Taiwan meet US officials in places other than government buildings.