Taiwan President Lai Ching-te stresses peace in Hawaii amid U.S. trip angering China. Beijing protests Lai's transit, warns of countermeasures, and eyes potential war games near Taiwan.
TAIPEI (Reuters) - War has no winners and peace is priceless, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Saturday in Hawaii after visiting a memorial to the attack on Pearl Harbor on a trip to the United States that has angered Beijing.
Lai is making a sensitive two-day trip to Hawaii that is officially only a stopover on the way to three Pacific island nations that maintain formal ties with Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.
Speaking to members of the overseas Taiwan community and Hawaii politicians, including members of Congress Ed Case and Jill Tokuda, Lai referred to his visit to the USS Arizona Memorial earlier in the day and laid a wreath in memory of those who died in the 1941 Japanese attack.
"Our visit to the memorial today in particular reminds us of the importance of ensuring peace. Peace is priceless and war has no winner. We have to fight - fight together - to prevent war," Lai said in English, in a speech carried live on television in Taiwan.
As Lai was attending the event, China said it had complained to Washington for arranging for his transit through U.S. territory, while vowing "resolute countermeasures" against a potential arms sale to Taiwan that the U.S. announced hours before Lai started his trip.
China's foreign ministry lodged "stern representations" over the transit, China's Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement.
"We are firmly opposed to official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan, and we are firmly opposed to the 'transit' of leaders of the Taiwan region to the United States under any name and for any reason," it said.
Security sources have told Reuters that China could launch a new round of war games around Taiwan in response to his visit, his first overseas trip since assuming office in May, having won election in January.
China has staged two rounds of major war games around Taiwan so far this year.
In his speech Lai switched to Taiwanese, also known as Hokkien, and said that by uniting together, all difficulties could be overcome. "Taiwan's democracy can become a model for the international community," he said.
Lai and his government reject Beijing's sovereignty claims and say they have a right to visit other countries.
After Hawaii, Lai will go to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, with another stopover in the U.S. territory of Guam. Hawaii and Guam are home to large U.S. military bases.
Read next
05:51
Taiwan has reported a sharp increase in Chinese military activity as Beijing concluded two days of war games around the island, intensifying tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
07:51
Military Tensions
The United States has condemned China’s recent military actions near Taiwan, labeling them as "irresponsible threats" that escalate regional tensions. The U.S. reaffirmed its unwavering support for Taiwan, stressing that China’s intimidation tactics undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan
06:00
China’s military announced on Tuesday that it has begun joint army, navy, and rocket force exercises around Taiwan, aimed at deterring what it described as Taiwanese independence efforts.
16:00
Figure skating
The International Skating Union (ISU) apologised on Thursday for displaying the flag of Taiwan rather than the Chinese Taipei emblem at the World Figure Skating Championships in Boston.
22:00
Google
Google is reportedly preparing to collaborate with Taiwan’s MediaTek on the next generation of its AI chips—its Tensor Processing Units—set to be produced next year, according to a report by Information citing people involved in the project.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment