Taiwan’s Lai flies to US to start tour of Pacific, angering China

TAIPEI: Taiwan President Lai Ching-te flew to the United States connected Saturday to motorboat a week-long circuit of the Pacific that helium said would usher successful a caller epoch of democracy, but has ignited fiery threats from Beijing.

China considers self-governed Taiwan to beryllium portion of its territory and opposes immoderate planetary designation of the land and its assertion to beryllium a sovereign state.

Lai, connected his archetypal travel overseas since taking bureau successful May, volition halt implicit archetypal successful the US land authorities of Hawaii and aboriginal successful the US territory of Guam arsenic helium visits Taiwan's allies Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau.

They are the lone Pacific land nations among the 12 remaining allies that recognise Taiwan, aft China poached others with promises of assistance and investment.

In a code soon earlier take-off, Lai said the travel “ushered successful a caller epoch of values-based democracy” and helium thanked the US authorities for “helping to marque this travel a creaseless one”.

Lai said helium wanted to “continue to grow practice and deepen partnerships with our allies based connected the values of democracy, bid and prosperity.”

An AFP writer was connected committee Lai's level and volition question with him for the duration of the tour.

Taiwan deployed 4 F-16 combatant jets to escort the Taiwan-flagged China Airlines level carrying Lai, authorities officials and media outlets.

During the flight, Lai thanked each those connected committee for “travelling unneurotic to unfastened up Taiwan's planetary space” successful what helium described arsenic a “grand event”.

“In the adjacent 7 days, we volition decidedly beryllium capable to enactment unneurotic to fto Taiwan spell planetary steadily and confidently,“ Lai said.

The travel has elicited a furious effect from China, which has vowed to “resolutely crush” immoderate attempts for Taiwan independence.

China and Taiwan person been ruled separately since 1949 erstwhile Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist forces were defeated by Mao Zedong's communist fighters and fled to the island.

- 'Taiwan matters' -

Taiwan lives nether the changeless menace of an penetration by China, which has refused to regularisation retired utilizing unit to bring the land nether its control.

Beijing deploys combatant jets, drones and warships astir Taiwan connected a near-daily ground to property its claims, with the fig of sorties expanding successful caller years.

It has held 2 large-scale subject exercises astir the land during Lai's presidency, and has criticised him astatine each crook implicit his statements and speeches.

Taiwanese authorities officials person antecedently stopped implicit connected US ungraded during visits to the Pacific oregon Latin America, angering China, which has sometimes responded with subject drills astir the island.

Lai's circuit of the Pacific was an accidental for him “to amusement those countries and the satellite that Taiwan matters”, said Bonnie Glaser, a Taiwan-China affairs adept astatine the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

“I deliberation that the People’s Republic of China ever wants to permission the content that Taiwan is isolated and it is babelike connected the PRC,“ Glaser told AFP, utilizing China's authoritative name.

“When Taiwan's president travels extracurricular Taiwan, it's a reminder that determination are countries successful the satellite that worth their diplomatic relationships with Taiwan,“ she said.

“And of course, erstwhile helium transits the United States, it’s a reminder, I think, to the nationalist of Taiwan, that the United States and Taiwan person a adjacent partnership.”

The US is Taiwan's astir important backer and biggest supplier of arms, but Washington does not person authoritative diplomatic relations with Taipei.

Lai's travel follows the US approving the projected merchantability to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16 combatant jets and radar systems, arsenic good arsenic communications equipment, successful deals valued astatine $385 cardinal successful total.

Earlier this month, Taiwan's overseas curate Lin Chia-lung met with European Parliament members successful Brussels.

It was portion of a inclination of much elder Taiwanese officials travelling overseas and countries publically receiving them contempt the hazard of suffering retaliation from China, Glaser told AFP.

“I deliberation there’s information successful numbers -- the much countries that bash something, the much that different countries are consenting to bash it,“ Glaser said.

“There’s besides greater consciousness of however assertive and assertive China has been, and truthful countries are willing, to immoderate extent, to basal up to China due to the fact that they don't similar China's behaviour,“ she said.

“And determination is designation of Taiwan's relation successful the world, particularly successful semiconductor chips.”