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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is planning to lead a delegation to Taiwan in a rare high-level U.S. visit to the island that China has sought to isolate diplomatically. Mr. Azar’s trip will take place in the coming days, the Health and Human Services Department said Tuesday. It would be the first visit by a U.S. cabinet official to Taiwan in six years. In a statement, Mr. Azar said his trip is intended to show President Trump’s support for Taiwan, its democratic government and the leadership it displayed in handling the coronavirus outbreak. (O'Keeffe, 8/5)

“Taiwan has been a model of transparency and cooperation in global health during the Covid-19 pandemic and long before it,” Mr. Azar said in the department’s statement. “I look forward to conveying President Trump’s support for Taiwan’s global health leadership and underscoring our shared belief that free and democratic societies are the best model for protecting and promoting health.” (Qin, 8/4)