The US Department of State yesterday said that any stopovers by President William Lai (賴清德) would be "in line with past practice, and fully consistent with our longstanding policy."
In an e-mailed response to CNA's inquiry regarding US policies on Taiwanese presidential transits and their consideration of relations with Beijing, the department said that stopovers by high-level Taiwan officials are "undertaken with consideration for the safety, comfort, convenience and dignity of the passenger."
Photo: Reuters
On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters after he met with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) in Malaysia that Wang had not warned him against "welcoming" Lai.
Taiwanese local media, citing an unnamed source, reported today that Lai plans to make stopovers in New York and Dallas, Texas, during state visits next month to Taiwan's allies in Central and South America, including Paraguay, Guatemala and Belize.
In response to the report, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US said there was nothing to announce at the moment, but that the Presidential Office would release any arrangements as required.
Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) echoed the statement, saying the office would inform the public in due course about any relevant arrangements if they are confirmed.
Lai made US stopovers in Hawaii and Guam during a trip to the South Pacific late last year.
Next month's stopovers would be his first in the continental US since taking office, if they materialize.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)