Taiwan President Lai Ching-te will visit Pacific island countries on his first overseas trip on the 30th. Whether he will transit through the United States is being carefully planned.
According to Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) and Bloomberg on the 22nd, Guo Yahui, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, held a press conference in the morning and announced that President Lai will visit three Pacific countries?Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau?from the 30th of this month to the 6th of next month.
When asked whether President Lai would stop in the United States during his trip, Deputy Foreign Minister Tian Zhongguang replied, "Preparations for transit are being carefully planned, and at this time, it is difficult to disclose detailed information."
In response to repeated questions from reporters, Deputy Minister Tian said, "(Details regarding the transit) will be announced at an appropriate time," adding, "However, there is a principle to handle it considering safety, dignity, convenience, and comfort."
Earlier, Taiwan media outlets such as United Daily News cited multiple well-informed sources reporting that President Lai plans to visit South Pacific diplomatic allies via transit through U.S. territories such as Hawaii or Guam from the end of this month to early next month.
Since taking office in May, President Lai has not traveled abroad. Typically, Taiwan presidents have stopped in the United States in transit when visiting diplomatic allies in South America and other regions to meet key figures. For Taiwan, whose diplomatic space is extremely limited due to pressure from China, such transit diplomacy is an opportunity to directly strengthen relations with the United States.
The United States severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979 upon establishing relations with China, as required by China, but maintains substantive diplomatic relations with Taiwan through the Taiwan Relations Act.
China views the Taiwan president’s transit through the United States as a violation of the "One China" principle and has expressed opposition. In April last year, when then-President Tsai Ing-wen met with then-U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during her Central American tour, China conducted three days of military exercises encircling Taiwan as retaliation. Although President Lai belongs to the same Democratic Progressive Party as former President Tsai, he is more actively pro-American and pro-independence, and China accuses him of being a "separatist."
Regarding this, Deputy Minister Tian urged China not to cause "unnecessary interference such as mobilizing its overseas nationals" during President Lai’s trip. He added, "China is expected to use various tactics to create specific disruptions or obstacles, but we will not dance to their tune," emphasizing, "We will do what we must do and plan what we need to plan."
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