On the way to Paraguay this Saturday, the vice-president of Taiwan William Lai will make a stopover in the United States. Officially, this is not a state visit but only a “transit”. But that is enough to provoke the ire of Chinese diplomacy.
Beijing still sees Taiwan as one of its provinces to one day be reunited with the rest of its territory, by force if necessary. China thus opposes any diplomatic contact between the island and foreign countries, and strongly condemns each meeting between Taipei and other governments.
“Looking forward to meeting American #friends in transit”
Officially, William Lai must simply “transit” through the United States, like Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in early April. During this step, she met the speaker of the American House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, and aroused the ire of Beijing.
“I will… let the international community know about our efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” the Taiwanese vice president said before boarding. “Leaving soon for #Asuncion”, “looking forward to meeting American #friends in transit”, William Lai wrote earlier on Twitter, specifying that he was traveling to Paraguay to witness the inauguration of the new President, Santiago Pena. Paraguay is the only country in South America to officially recognize Taipei.
In response to William Lai, the president of the American Institute in Taiwan, which serves as the de facto American embassy for Taiwan and is located in Virginia, Laura Rosenberger, replied to him on X: “AIT is looking forward to welcoming the vice-president during his transit to Paraguay! “. William Lai must make a stopover in New York on the way out, then in San Francisco on the way back.
China continues to bully Taiwan
In the name of its principle of “One China” according to which Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory, Beijing condemned this “transit” on Thursday August 3, calling on American leaders to “cease official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan. “.
On the island, Foreign Secretary Jeff Liu’s spokesman played down, saying there was “nothing special” about William Lai’s time on US soil. He pointed out that this had already happened 11 times.
In the week before William Lai’s departure, the Chinese military presence around Taiwan’s waters and airspace was larger than usual. On Wednesday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it located 33 aircraft and six warships around the island between that day and Friday.