Taipei  - The United States is planning to send an envoy to Taiwan to brief authorities on US President Barack Obama's meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Raymond F Burghardt, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), is to arrive in Taipei Sunday for a four-day visit, AIT's Taipei office said in a statement.

Burghardt, the highest-ranking US official in charge of Taiwan ties, is scheduled to meet with President Ma Ying-jeou, Parliament Speaker Wang Jin-pyng and Premier Wu Den-Yih, the statement said.

Vice Foreign Minister Shen Lu-hsun said Burghardt will brief Ma on Monday's meeting beween Obama and Hu.

Many Taiwanese were concerned that Obama did not speak out for Taiwan on his China trip which ended Wednesday.

While Obama noted that US policy was based on the three US-China communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act, the act - in which Washington pledges to sell defensive arms to Taipei - was not mentioned in the Obama-Hu joint statement.

In the joint statement, the US said it respects China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, which further raised concern in Taiwan because China considers Taiwan to be Chinese territory.

Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party warned that Taiwan-US ties have regressed, and demanded the US clarify its stance on Taiwan.

But Ma insisted that Taiwan-US ties are at their best in six decades due to his seeking reconciliation with Beijing since he took office in 2008.

The US dropped Taiwan to recognize China in 1979, but passed the Taiwan Relations Act, pledging to continue to sell defensive arms to the island.

Despite the lack of formal ties, the US remains Taiwan's top arms supplier and one of the top trading partners of Taiwan, which is recognized by 23 mostly-small nations. (dpa)