TAIWAN

Carla Anderson Hills to Visit Taipei: U.S. Trade Representative Carla Anderson Hills will visit Taiwan in early December, the first Cabinet-level American official to visit the island since Washington broke ties with Taipei in 1979, the United States announced. The visit will be the latest in a rapid string of diplomatic initiatives with Taiwan by Western governments, all of which recognize Beijing--not Taipei--as the government of China. Previously, these governments kept Taiwan at arm’s length. The newfound interest in Taiwan derives largely from Western companies’ desire to obtain contracts for the island’s massive infrastructure-spending program. Amid a prolonged economic downturn in the West, governments are prepared to risk Beijing’s ire to court capital-rich Taiwan. For years, fear of provoking China kept most nations from raising their profiles on the island.