Taiwan President Lai in US for Pacific tour amid rising tensions with China

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived Saturday in the United States for the start of a week-long tour in the Pacific that he said would usher in a new era of democracy, but has sparked fury in Beijing.

Lai landed in the US island state of Hawaii shortly before 7:30 am local time (1730 GMT), said an AFP journalist travelling with the president for the duration of the trip.

China considers self-governed Taiwan to be part of its territory and opposes any international recognition of the island and its claim to be a sovereign state.

Beijing especially bristles at official exchanges between Taiwan and the United States, which does not recognise Taipei diplomatically but is its most important backer and biggest supplier of arms.

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Lai, who has been an outspoken defender of Taiwan’s sovereignty and whom Beijing calls a “separatist”, is on his first overseas trip since taking office in May.

He will have a two-day stopover in Hawaii, with visits on Saturday to the Bishop Museum, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, and the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, according to his official schedule.

He will later spend one night in the US territory of Guam as he visits Taiwan’s allies Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau.

They are the only Pacific island nations among the 12 remaining countries that recognise Taiwan, after China poached others with promises of aid and investment.

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In a speech shortly before departing Taipei, Lai said the trip “ushered in a new era of values-based democracy” and he thanked the US government for “helping to make this trip a smooth one”.

Lai said he wanted to “continue to expand cooperation and deepen partnerships with our allies based on the values of democracy, peace and prosperity.”