Meetings on the island between American and Taiwanese officials would compound tensions brought on by the passage of two US bills, observers say

South China Morning Post 
Date: 20 February, 2018
By: Lawrence Chung

The annual US-Taiwan defence industry conference has long been a platform for Taiwan and the United States to discuss arms sales and has been held in the US for the last decade-and-a-half to avoid provoking Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the island.

But a Taiwanese military source confirmed to the South China Morning Post on Tuesday that Taipei and Washington agreed last year that from 2018, they would take turns to host the event and the conference would now take place twice a year.

Is Washington preparing to play the Taiwan card with Beijing again?

The move is set to provoke Beijing and aggravate tensions in Sino-US ties brought on by US President Donald Trump’s decision in December to sign the National Defence Authorisation Act strengthening military ties with Taipei.    [FULL  STORY]