The Vice President of Taiwan, William Lai, traveled to the United States this Saturday before attending the inauguration in Paraguay, a move that irritated the Chinese authorities.
Source: AFP
Lai, a candidate for next year’s Taiwan presidential election, will officially make only one stop in the United States on his trip to attend the inauguration of Paraguay’s new president, Santiago Peña.
Before boarding his flight on Saturday afternoon, he told reporters that he plans to “meet leaders from various countries around the world and also meet with delegations from like-minded countries” during his trip to Paraguay, the only country in South America that it diplomatically recognizes. Taiwan versus China.
“I will make … the international community aware of our numerous efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Lai said.
“Excited to meet our American friends on the layover,” he previously wrote on the X social network, formerly known as Twitter.
In response, Laura Rosenberger, president of the American Institute in Taiwan, which acts as Taiwan’s representative in the United States, said officials are “looking forward to welcoming” Lai.
Lai plans to make a stopover in New York on his way to Paraguay, and a stop in San Francisco on his return.
Last week, the Chinese Foreign Ministry urged the United States to “respect the one-China principle” and end official exchanges with Taiwan.
Before the trip, Taiwan sought to downplay the displacement, with Foreign Minister spokesman Jeff Liu saying there is “nothing special” about a vice president being in transit in the United States, something that has happened 11 times.
In April, China held three days of military exercises simulating a blockade operation on Taiwan after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California at his return from a trip to Guatemala and Belize.
In the week leading up to Lai’s trip, China’s incursions into Taiwan’s waters and airspace, which have occurred on a daily basis for the past year, became more intense.
