Taiwan president Lai Ching-te has stopped in Hawaii during his visit to Pacific showing no reaction to China’s threat over the stopover in Hawaii, reports CNN.
The president’s brief stop in Hawaii may have appeared understated – no formal US reception, no grand speeches – but its implications extend far beyond floral wreaths and banquets.
On his way to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau – three of Taiwan’s remaining handful of diplomatic allies – Lai was using the visit to underscore Taiwan’s diplomatic resilience amid intensifying pressure from Beijing. It also comes as Taiwan contends with the upcoming leadership change inside the White House.
Quoting Taipei’s presidential office the media reported that Lai will stop over for two nights in Hawaii and one night in the US territory of Guam – his first transit across US soil since taking office in May.
Though billed as an unofficial transit, the trip drew scrutiny, particularly from China, which condemned Lai’s visit and is expected to respond with military drills near Taiwan. This was more than a layover; it reaffirmed Taiwan’s partnerships with the US and other democracies – alliances Beijing is eager to undermine.
China’s reaction to Lai’s visit was predictably fierce. A spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office called it “a provocative act” and insisted that efforts to seek Taiwan independence “are doomed to fail.”
On Sunday, Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “firmly opposes any form of US connivance or support for ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists and their separatist activities.”
“China strongly condemns the US’s arranging for Lai Ching-te’s ‘stopover’ and has lodged serious protests with the US,” it said in a statement.
According to Kolas Yotaka, a former spokesperson for Lai and his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, such responses are routine.
“China’s oppression of Taiwan has intensified,” Yotaka told CNN. “They’re not just targeting Taiwan – they’re targeting democratic institutions worldwide. Attacking Taiwan is part of China’s broader political agenda.”
Taiwanese security agencies anticipate that Beijing – which claims the self-governing island as its own territory – will use Lai’s trip as a pretext for military drills near Taiwan, potentially under the codename “Joint Sword-2024C.” Such exercises, often accompanied by propaganda campaigns, are a familiar tactic. Beijing has staged similar displays of force following high-profile interactions between Taiwan and the US, including former President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to California last year.
“This kind of suppression will not stop,” Yotaka warned. “We have to assume the worst is yet to come.”
Bd-Pratidin English/ Afsar Munna
