Taiwan

US plans highest-level Taiwan visit in decades

Alex Azar listens during a roundtable discussion at the White House
Reuters
Alex Azar said Taiwan's response to the Covid-19 crisis would be on the agenda

The US government is sending senior officials to Taiwan to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and other issues.

US health secretary Alex Azar said he would lead the delegation to Taiwan in the coming days. He will be the highest-ranking American cabinet official to visit the island since 1979, says the New York Times.

Azar said he would discuss Taiwan’s “global health leadership” during the pandemic when he meets with President Tsai Ing-wen.

Taiwan’s response to the pandemic has received international praise, but China has sought to keep the self-governing island out of the World Health Organization (WHO), causing political acrimony.

The US visit may inflame tensions with China, which regards Taiwan as a rebel region that must be reunited with the mainland - by force if necessary.

The octogenarian fashionistas modelling forgotten clothes

The latest fashion sensation is a couple who run a laundry in Taiwan - both in their 80s
The latest online fashion sensation is a couple from Taiwan, and they are both in their 80s. Chang Wan-ji and his wife Hso Sho-er run a small public laundry. After their grandson Reef Chang encouraged them to model abandoned clothes, they've racked up nearly 600,000 followers on Instagram.  They've even been featured in the Taiwanese edition of Vogue and Marie Claire. 

Their grandson Reef told us how it all began. "They are very happy. A lot of customers come to the store and say 'wow, you are so famous!  I want to take a photo with you'."

(Photo: Chang Wan-ji and his wife Hso Sho-er model forgotten clothes. Credit: Reef Chang).
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