13-8-2023 (NEW YORK) Taiwan’s Vice President William Lai arrived in New York on Saturday for a sensitive stopover en route to Paraguay, where he will attend the swearing-in of its president next week. Lai, who is considered the front-runner to become Taiwan’s president in the upcoming elections in January, is officially making only transit stops in the US on his way to and from Paraguay.
China has condemned Lai’s visit and Taiwanese officials fear it could prompt more Chinese military activity around the island. Beijing claims Taiwan as its own and considers any support from the US to Taiwan a threat to its sovereignty.
Taipei and Washington call US stopovers by Taiwanese officials routine and no cause for China to take “provocative” actions, but Beijing has reacted with anger at what it sees as a further sign of US support for Taiwan.
While neither Taiwan nor the US has given exact details about Lai’s US schedule, both are aiming to keep it low-key, according to officials briefed on the trip. This is the 11th US stopover by a Taiwanese vice president, according to the US State Department, which calls them routine but “private and unofficial”.
Lai’s visit to Paraguay is aimed at deepening ties with the country and having “self-confident” exchanges with other countries and like-minded partners. This will “let the international community understand that Taiwan is a country that adheres to democracy, freedom and human rights, and actively participates in international affairs,” Lai said.
Lai’s visit comes at a time when China is likely to launch military drills next week near Taiwan, using the US stopovers as a pretext to intimidate voters ahead of next year’s election and make them “fear war,” Taiwanese officials say.
The Biden administration is eager to keep Lai’s visit low-profile so as not to stoke tensions before Taiwan’s election and to preserve the recent momentum in US engagements with senior Chinese officials. This includes the prospect of a visit to the US by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, which could pave the way for a meeting between US President Joe Biden and China’s leader Xi Jinping later this year.
Lai is due to return from Paraguay via San Francisco and is expected back in Taiwan next Friday, according to the official schedule for the trip.
