Taiwan VP William Lai embarks on sensitive US trip, drawing China's condemnation and raising concerns about heightened military actions near the democratic island. TaiwanUSVisit ChinaTensions
Lai, the front-runner to become Taiwan’s president in elections in January, is officially making only transit stops in the United States on his way to and from Paraguay for the swearing in of its president.
China is likely to launch military drills next week near Taiwan, using Lai’s stopovers in the United States as a pretext to intimidate voters ahead of a next year’s election and make them “fear war”, Taiwanese officials say. Lai, who goes first to New York, wrote in English on social media platform X, formerly called Twitter, he was “excited to meet with US friends in transit” and to be going to Paraguay, one of just 13 countries to maintain formal ties with Taipei.
Neither Taiwan nor the United States have given exact details about his U.S. schedule. Lai’s official schedule for Sunday states merely that he is going to Paraguay.
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