Taiwan’s president departs for Pacific visit with a 2-day stop in the US
Associated Press
TAOYUAN, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s president has departed for a trip to the South Pacific that will include a two-day transit in the U.S., his first since assuming office. The planned stopovers in Hawaii and the territory of Guam have already drawn fierce criticism from Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and objects to official exchanges between it and the U.S., the island’s biggest backer and military provider. Lai Ching-te left Saturday on a weeklong trip to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau — three diplomatic allies of the self-governed island. It is unclear whether Lai will meet with any members of the incoming Trump administration.
