TAIPEI: Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday it "understood and respected" a decision by the US State Department to cancel a visit to the island by the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regrets that the US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft cannot lead a delegation to visit Taiwan from Jan. 13 to 15 as scheduled, but welcomes Ambassador Craft to visit at an appropriate time in the future," it said in a statement.