Taiwan has invited Eric Shinseki, US secretary of veterans affairs, officials here said Tuesday, as the island aimed for the highest-level American visit in a decade.
Tseng Jing-ling, minister of Taiwan's Veteran Affairs Commission, confirmed the invitation during a parliamentary session on Monday, his aide told AFP.
Shinseki could travel to Taiwan as early as spring next year for a symposium on veteran issues, an area that is not considered politically sensitive and therefore more palatable to China, the United Daily News said.
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The triangular relationship between China, the United States and Taiwan was strained under the island's former president Chen Shui-bian who often irked Washington and Beijing with policies pushing for formal independence.
Ties have improved markedly after Chen was succeeded by Ma Ying-jeou last year, becoming the least confrontational president in the island's history as a de facto separate country.
