The US Department of State today said that its policy on stopovers by Taiwanese leaders "has not changed" amid reports that US President Donald Trump had blocked a visit to New York by President William Lai (賴清德).
"The United States remains committed to our longstanding 'one China' policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the 'three joint communiques' and the 'six assurances,'" a department spokesperson told CNA under the condition of anonymity.
Photo: Bloomberg
On July 16, Bloomberg News reported that Lai was planning to stop in New York on Monday next week and then Dallas 10 days later as part of a trip to diplomatic allies Paraguay, Guatemala and Belize.
However, in a follow-up report yesterday, anonymous sources cited by Bloomberg said that planning for the trip was disrupted late last week when the Trump administration, concerned it could derail trade talks with China, blocked the trip.
Similar reports from the Financial Times and Reuters were also published this week.
Asked about the trip yesterday, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement that Lai has no immediate plans for an overseas trip due to "ongoing rehabilitation efforts in southern Taiwan following a recent typhoon and regional developments including the US' tariffs."
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