Joseph Wu in U.S. for 'secret talks' via special channel: Report

Washington, April 4 (CNA) Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), head of Taiwan's National Security Council (NSC), is on a visit to the United States to hold talks with the U.S. government via a "special channel," days after China held its latest military exercises around Taiwan, the Financial Times reported Friday.

The "secret talks" were held Friday, marking the first time that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump was using the special channel since his return to the White House in January, according the report published Friday.

The special channel for talks between Taiwan and the U.S. has been in place for years, serving as a mechanism for officials from Washington and Taipei to discuss security issues, but it is not openly acknowledged by either side, the report said.

Washington has kept such talks secret in an effort to avoid triggering any provocative actions by China against Taiwan, according to the Financial Times, which said it was the first to reveal the special channel in 2021.

In 1979, The U.S. switched diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the People's Republic of China but has maintained unofficial ties with Taipei, which has drawn frequent criticism from Beijing.

The U.S.' special communication channel with Taiwan includes officials from the U.S. National Security Council among others, the Financial Times said.

Wu and his delegation arrived in Washington this week for "secret talks" via the special channel, the report said, noting that the Chinese People's Liberation Army had been conducting live-fire exercises in the East China Sea on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S. declined to comment on the report.

Earlier this week, the PLA's Eastern Theater Command said the military exercises around Taiwan were meant to serve as "a stern warning" to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

According to the Financial Times report, the PLA's recent sophisticated military drills around Taiwan have heightened the U.S.' concerns about its stance on Taiwan.

Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, was cited in the reports as saying that China's military exercises had become so extensive that the PLA could use the drills as a "fig leaf" to conceal a military invasion of Taiwan.

"Their aggressive manoeuvres around Taiwan right now are not exercises as they call them, they are rehearsals. They are rehearsals for the forced unification of Taiwan," the report quoted Paparo as saying at the Honolulu Defense Forum in February.

The report said that the special communication channel was also used in August 2024 during the administration of then U.S. President Joe Biden. It was a few months after the inauguration of Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) in May.

The delegation in August included Wu, a former foreign minister, and the incumbent Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), the report said.

Citing a source familiar with the matter, the Financial Times said Friday that Lin is also part of the Taiwan delegation currently in the U.S. for the secret talks.

According to the report, under a practice that has been maintained through multiple U.S. administrations, Taiwan's defense and foreign ministers are not permitted to enter the District of Columbia due to the lack of diplomatic ties.

Previously, Taiwanese and American officials have met in neighboring Virginia or Maryland, the report said.