China reacted with anger on Monday to a planned visit next month to the United States by “separatist” Taiwan presidential frontrunner Vice President William Lai, as the government in Taipei said it saw no reason to overreact to mere transit stops, SIA refers to foreign media.
Taiwanese presidents and vice presidents traditionally make transits of the United States on trips to the few remaining countries still to maintain formal diplomatic ties with the Chinese-claimed island, and this time Lai will be attending the swearing in of Paraguay’s new president, Santiago Pena.
This US trip, though, has extra significance as Lai is running to succeed President Tsai Ing-wen at Taiwan’s next election in January, and presidential candidates generally visit the United States ahead of the vote to discuss their run with officials there. Lai is currently leading in most opinion polls.
Such transits infuriate China, which views them as covert support by the United States for Taiwan’s separateness from China and challenge to Beijing’s territorial claims.
Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the government had already lodged a diplomatic complaint with the United States about Lai’s stop overs.
Taiwan’s presidential office said Lai would arrive in Paraguay on Aug. 14, the day before Pena is sworn in as the country’s next president. Speaking to reporters, Taiwan Vice Foreign Minister Alexander Yui declined to give details on Lai’s US transits, saying details would come later.
Asked whether the government was worried about the Chinese reaction to Lai’s US visit or whether it would prompt more Chinese war games, Yui said that it was the “usual practice” to make such stop overs for reasons of safety and comfort.
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