William Lai
Despite Beijing’s warning over his visit, Taiwan’s vice president and front-runner in the presidential election, William Lai, has stated that the island will not bow in the face of growing Chinese threats.
He stopped in New York on his way to Paraguay, where he will attend the inauguration of the country’s new president on Tuesday.
Lai framed Taiwan’s long-term existence as something the world community should be concerned about in an address to supporters at a lunch banquet in New York.
“When Taiwan is safe, the world is safe, and when there is peace on the Taiwan Strait, there will be world peace”, Lai told Taiwan’s presidential office.
The South American country is one of only 13 countries with formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that China’s ruling Communist Party claims as its own territory despite never having controlled it.
Lai’s remarks come after China’s foreign ministry slammed his visit, branding him a troublemaker through and through.
According to the statement, China strongly opposes any official cooperation between the US and Taiwan, as well as any Taiwan independence separatists to the US.
Both Taiwan and the United States have stated that Lai’s transits, which included a stop in San Francisco on his way back Wednesday, are usual.
“These transits of senior officials are unofficial, in keeping with our US One China policy”, a senior administration official said on July 16, calling them “fairly common”.
Lai last visited the United States in January 2022.
Lai, 63, is a member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) deep green faction, which is recognized for being more overtly pro-independence.
Previously, the Harvard-educated doctor-turned-politician described himself as a pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence.
That has enraged Beijing, which has not renounced the use of force to seize the self-ruled island.
Lai has taken a more moderate stance on China after receiving the DPP nomination.
Beijing has increased economic, political, and military pressure on Taiwan under Xi Jinping’s leadership, notably since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen, who won a second term in 2020, according to CNN.
Tsai is barred from running for a third term under Taiwanese law.
Taiwan’s election will take place in January and could have far-reaching implications for international relations at a time when Xi is under heavy criticism for fulfilling his promise to reunite the island with China.
Taiwanese officials’ visits to the United States are referred to as transits rather than visits because the United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with the government of Taiwan, and the stopovers are part of an unofficial tour en route to another destination.
Despite Beijing’s warnings and threats, Taiwan’s President Tsai traveled to California in March and met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Following Tsai’s visit, China conducted three days of live-fire military maneuvers in the vicinity of Taiwan.
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