(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan President Lai Ching-te will make a stop in the US state of Hawaii and another American territory while visiting allies in the South Pacific in the coming weeks, according to a person familiar with the matter — a routine stopover that risks inflaming US-China tensions.
The other US territory Lai could visit on the trip is Guam, according to the person, who asked not to be identified discussing the sensitive issue. The president, whom Beijing has branded a “separatist,” has been planning his inaugural overseas trip for months, the person added.
President Xi Jinping’s government sees Taiwan as a breakaway province to be reclaimed someday — by force if necessary — and opposes Beijing’s diplomatic allies having contact with officials from Taipei. Lai’s travel plans were first reported by Reuters.
Lai’s office said there were no “current” plans for an overseas trip. “Should any such arrangements be made, they will be promptly communicated to the public,” said Karen Kuo, a spokeswoman for the Presidential Office.
America shouldn’t allow Lai to transit the US, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Friday at a regular press briefing in Beijing. Washington should “stop sending wrong signals to Taiwan independence forces and maintain stability and peace in the region,” he added.
Sensitive Time
Lai’s trip comes at a sensitive time, as Joe Biden prepares to leave the White House after repeatedly vowing to defend Taiwan from any Chinese invasion, muddying the long-standing US position of strategic ambiguity. President-elect Donald Trump’s comeback casts doubts over such reassurances, adding fresh turbulence to a major flashpoint between the world’s largest economies as the threat of a new trade war looms.
It’s unclear how Trump would handle the Taiwan issue. While several of his picks for top posts favor taking a tougher line on China, he was critical of Taiwan while campaigning. He accused the archipelago of “stealing” chip business from the US and suggested it pay for protection. Trump also didn’t answer directly when asked if American troops would defend Taiwan should China invade.
All of Taiwan’s sitting presidents since the 1990s prior to Lai have traveled to America on stopovers en route to other destinations. While most trips passed without heightening tensions, a visit by then-leader Lee Teng-hui to speak at Cornell University in 1995 sparked the so-called Third Strait Crisis, with China firing missiles into waters near the main island of Taiwan and carrying out amphibious assault exercises.
Beijing’s response to Lai’s trip is likely to rest on who he meets in the US. In April 2023, the People’s Liberation Army held major drills around Taiwan because sitting President Tsai Ing-wen met then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during a stopover in California. Other potential responses range from diplomatic protests to possible economic retaliation.
Self-ruled Taiwan only has 12 diplomatic partners, after the tiny Pacific Island nation of Nauru cut relations in January after Lai’s election win.
--With assistance from Lucille Liu.
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