Israel hosted secret visit by Taiwan’s deputy foreign minister – report

The Reuters news agency reported this Thursday that Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister, François Wu, recently paid a secret visit to Israel, amid Taiwan’s efforts to advance security cooperation between the two countries.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on Wu’s visit to Israel, saying that “Taiwan and Israel share the values of freedom and democracy, and will continue to pragmatically promote exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation” in the fields of trade, technology, and culture, and would welcome “additional forms of beneficial cooperation.”

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not comment.

Three knowledgeable sources said that the visit took place in recent weeks, possibly this month, but declined to specify with which Israeli officials the Taiwanese deputy minister met.

It also remains unclear whether the visit involved Taiwan’s new air-defense system, the “T-Dome,” which was unveiled in October by President Lai Ching-te and is partially based on Israel’s air-defense system.

Israel and Taiwan do not maintain official diplomatic relations, in line with the global convention of the “One China” policy – under which most countries recognize Beijing, not Taipei, as the legitimate representative of China.

Nevertheless, the two countries maintain ties through trade offices, and Taiwan has consistently expressed support for Israel throughout the war in Gaza.