President William Lai (賴清德) is planning to stop over in Hawaii and maybe Guam on a visit to Taipei’s diplomatic allies in the Pacific in the coming weeks, six sources told Reuters.
Lai, who won election in January, has yet to travel overseas since taking office in May.
Six sources briefed on the visit, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter, said that Lai is planning a stopover in Hawaii as part of an overseas trip starting in the coming weeks.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
A stopover in the US territory of Guam was also being discussed, four of the sources said.
Both Hawaii and Guam are home to major US military bases.
Two of the sources said that the stopovers would be part of Lai’s visit to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the Pacific.
The Pacific countries of the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau are three of the 12 remaining states that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taipei.
Reuters was unable to determine precisely which countries Lai would visit and when.
The Presidential Office said Lai “at present has no overseas trips planned,” but if he does, the government would announce it at an appropriate time.
“We refer you to the Taiwan authorities for the travel plans of high-level Taiwan officials. We have nothing further on this,” a US Department of State spokesperson said.
The offices of the presidents of Palau and the Marshall Islands and the Tuvalu government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Taiwan’s presidents typically make use of what are officially only stopovers in the US to meet friendly US politicians and give speeches.
Such stopovers are typically on visits to far-flung allies in the Pacific, Latin America or the Caribbean.
One person familiar with the US leg said they expected Lai’s visit to be lower-key than usual and that logistics are still being worked on.
The Pacific island nations visits are also important as China has been gradually whittling away at the number of countries there who have ties with Taiwan.
In January, tiny Nauru switched relations back to Beijing.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS