‘STRONG STAKE’:A senior US State Department official said the Singapore meeting ‘is consistent with the direction’ Washington has encouraged the two sides to move in

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 06, 2015
By: William Lowther  /  Staff reporter in WASHINGTON

Taiwan and China informed the US in advance of the official announcement that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) would meet tomorrow in Singapore, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Daniel Russel said on Wednesday.

There had been speculation that the announcement came as a surprise to Washington.

Answering questions following a speech in New York on US-Asia policy, Russel said the news of the meeting was “subsequently leaked to the press — not by us.”     [FULL  STOERY]