U.S. official's visit to China's Taiwan cancelled

A cancellation of all travel by the U.S. State Department this week includes a planned visit to Taiwan by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft, a State Department spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft speaks during a news conference on September 21, 2020, at the US State Department in Washington, DC. [File photo: AFP]

The cancellation of the trip is in line with the State Department cancelling trips abroad ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration in order to ensure a "smooth and orderly" transition to the new administration, according to the spokeswoman.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also cancelled a final official visit to Europe for the same reason.

Craft planned to pay a three-day visit to China's Taiwan starting from Wednesday, Pompeo earlier announced. The move was strongly opposed by China which claims Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory and warned the U.S. side would pay a heavy price for its wrong action.