Taiwan President Defies Xi Jinping Regime, Prepares to Visit Hawaii and Guam Despite Chinese Threats

The President of Taiwan, William Laiundertake this Saturday your first foreign trip as president under military threat from Chinawho has already expressed his frontal rejection of the transit of the leader of the island through the American territories of Hawaii Yes Guam.

Lai, considered a separatist and a troublemaker by the Beijing authorities, leave Taiwan around 4:30 p.m. (08:30 GMT) Saturday towards Hawaiiwhere to make a scale two nightsaccording to government sources cited by the national press agency CNAa channel used by the Taiwanese government to disseminate particularly sensitive information.

Later, Lai traveled to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and, after spending a night in Guam and another in Palau, returned to Taiwan on the afternoon of December 6.

This trip, the first by a Taiwanese leader to the Pacific since 2019, will take place in a context of growing tensions between Taipei and Beijingwhich considers the autonomous island as an inalienable part of its territory.

During his seven-day tour, Lai will seek to strengthen Taiwan's relations with its three diplomatic allies in the Pacificin a context of strong competition between the United States and China for their influence in this region.

The presidential delegation will be made up of several personalities from his government, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lin Chia-lungthe secretary general of the Presidency, Pan Men-anand the President of the Maritime Affairs Council, Kuan Bi-ling.

According to the presidential office, Lai will hold separate meetings with the heads of government of these three island nations, such as the president of the Marshall Islands, Hilda Heinethe Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Flat teaand the President of Palau, Surangel Whipps Jr..

Concerning the stopovers in Hawaii and Guam, territories already visited by the former president Tsai Ing-wen During his tour in the Pacific in 2017, Lai took the opportunity to meet up with old friends and talk behind closed doors with experts from research centers, the agency said. CNA.

Throughout this week, the Chinese regime has repeatedly shown its firm opposition to the presence of the Taiwanese leader on American soilinsisting that the one-China principle constitutes the fundamental norm in international relations and the general consensus of the international community.

During a press conference, the spokesperson for the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ningexpressed Thursday its rejection of any form of American collusion in favor of separatist elements in Taiwanand reaffirmed Beijing's rejection of the visit of Taiwanese authorities to the United States under any name and under any pretext.

The same day, the Taiwanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lin Chia-lungassured that did not rule out the possibility about what China will launch a new wave of military maneuvers around the island in the coming dayswhich would be the third this year, since he always answered either way to trips of island leaders abroad.

We urge Beijing not to use this long-standing practice – foreign travel by presidents – as an excuse to overreact, for example by holding military exercises that risk destabilizing cross-Strait relations. Taiwan, he said.

For now, China has already expressed its irritation at an increase in its military activities in the area: more than thirty Chinese planes, including combat planes and drones, have flown over the area around the island in the last 24 hours, according to the latest daily. which is part of the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense.

(EFE)