Taiwan is a key force for promoting global peace and stability, President William Lai (賴清德) said as he left for Hawaii yesterday as part of a Pacific tour, thanking the US for allowing him to stop over.
China has been stepping up military pressure against Taiwan.
Security sources told Reuters that Beijing might stage military exercises to coincide with Lai’s Pacific tour, which includes stopovers in Hawaii and Guam, a US territory.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
In a speech shortly before take-off, Lai thanked the US government for “helping to make this trip a smooth one.”
“This trip is the beginning of a new era of values-based diplomacy,” he said. “Democracy, prosperity and peace are the expectations of the people of Taiwan, and they are also the values that I, as president, must actively promote.”
“I will continue to expand cooperation and deepen our partnership with our allies and friends based on the values of democracy, peace, and prosperity, so that the world can see that Taiwan is not only a model of democracy, but also a key force in promoting global peace, stability and prosperity,” he added.
Taiwan deployed F-16 jets to escort the Taiwan-flagged China Airlines plane carrying Lai and his delegation.
Lai was to stop in Hawaii for the first two nights before going to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, three of the 12 countries that have formal diplomatic ties with Taipei.
Taiwanese presidents often make use of what are officially only stopovers in the US to meet friendly politicians and give speeches.
Such stopovers are typically on visits to far-flung allies in the Pacific, Latin America or the Caribbean.
Hawaii and Guam are home to major US military bases.
A few hours before Lai’s departure, the US announced a new arms sale package for Taiwan, of spare parts for F-16 jets and radars for an estimated US$385 million.
China on Friday urged Washington to exercise “utmost caution” in its relations with Taiwan.
The US Department of State said it saw no justification for what it called a private, routine and unofficial transit by Lai to be used by Beijing as a pretext for provocation.
This is Lai’s first foreign trip since taking office in May. He is scheduled to return to Taiwan on Friday.
Additional reporting by AFP
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