The Taiwanese president, William Laiwill begin this Saturday his first trip abroad as president under military threat from Chinawhich has already expressed its frontal rejection of the island leader’s transit through the US territories of Hawaii y Guam.
Lai, considered an “independence supporter” and a “troublemaker” by the Beijing authorities, will depart Taiwan around 4:30 p.m. (08:30 GMT) on Saturday heading to Hawaiiwhere there will be a scale of two nightsaccording to government sources cited by the state news agency CNAa channel used by the Taiwanese Government to spread especially sensitive information.
Later, Lai will visit the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and, after spending one night in Guam and another in Palau, he will return 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 self-governed island 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 president’s delegation will be made up of several heavyweights from his Government, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lin Chia-lungthe general secretary of the Presidency, Pan Men-anand the head of the Ocean 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 Teoand the president of Palau, Surangel Whipps Jr.
Regarding the stops in Hawaii and Guam, territories that the former president has already visited Tsai Ing-wen During his 2017 Pacific tour, Lai will take advantage of them to meet with “old friends” and hold closed-door exchanges with experts from research centers, the agency indicated. 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 is the “basic norm in international relations and the general consensus of the international community.”
In a press conference, the spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ningexpressed on Thursday his rejection of “any form of US collusion in support of ‘separatist elements’” in Taiwanand reaffirmed Beijing’s rejection of Taiwanese authorities visiting the US “under any name and under any pretext”.
That same day, the Taiwanese foreign minister, 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 has always responded “somehow” to the trips of the island leaders abroad.
“We urge Beijing not to use this long-standing practice – presidents’ trips abroad – as a pretext to overreact, for example by holding military exercises that risk destabilizing cross-Strait relations.” said the Taiwanese minister.
For now, China has already expressed its irritation with an uptick in its military activities in the area: more than thirty Chinese aircraft, including fighter jets and drones, flew over the surroundings of the island in the last 24 hours, according to the latest daily part of the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan.
(EFE)
