(Photo: Sipa)

It is generally acknowledged that ties between China and the United States are in their darkest moment since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1979.

US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar's planned visit to Taiwan, which may materialize in a matter of days, is a politically motivated provocation that will only further darken the outlook for relations.

The US Department of Health and Human Services, American Institute in Taiwan, and the island's "diplomatic" authorities have all confirmed the planned visit. If it happens as proposed, during which the US health chief, accompanied by chief medical officer of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with other officials of the Trump administration, meets local leader Tsai Ing-wen, it certainly would be as the department said, a "historic" visit. He would be the highest-ranking US official to visit the island in an official capacity since 1979.

As a flagrant violation of the three joint communiqués that constitute the political foundation for Sino-US relations, in which Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing and committed to not developing official ties with Taiwan, such a visit will no doubt be a serious political provocation to Beijing, and invite angry protest, if not a retaliatory response.

But that is exactly what the White House wants. As pressure mounts at home amid the administration's disappointing handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the China hawks around the US president are obviously betting on anti-China stunts to divert public attention from the domestic crisis they have created with their ineptitude.

After the US president signed the "Taiwan Travel Act", which encourages official mutual visits at all levels between Washington and Taipei, the ongoing pandemic has offered a handy excuse for such a trip. Azar has stated that the purpose of his mission is "conveying President Trump's support for Taiwan's global health leadership", which is a nod to the US administration's "China is responsible, not us" campaign strategy.

While expressing "strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition" after the US president signed the "Taiwan Travel Act", the Chinese embassy in the US urged Washington to not engage in official exchanges with Taiwan and refrain from upgrading the relationship with the island's administration.

The US health chief's visit, however, is a substantive move to do just that.

Given its outrageous infringement of the "one China" principle, Beijing has no option but to strongly oppose the provocation. But escalating tensions only serve the China hawks' purpose, because they are the only ones in favor of a lose-lose scenario.

For all its tough rhetoric, Beijing has so far exercised restraint as it wants to put a brake on the downward spiral in relations, knowing that the generally positive momentum in their relations over the past four decades has benefited both countries.

If its calls for de-escalation continue to fall on deaf ears in the US, things may get worse going forward, as those in Washington suffering from an acute China phobia may become dangerously emboldened to act rashly against China.