TAiwan’s presidential candidate Lai Ching-Te repeatedly made clear statements to Beijing in the primary campaign. But when Lai stopped in New York on Sunday on a layover en route to South America, he was presidentially withdrawn. A meeting between the current Vice President of Taiwan and high-ranking American government officials or MPs was initially not planned, nor was a public address.
It was different when President Tsai Ing-wen stopped in the USA in the spring, gave a speech there and also met the Speaker of the House of Representatives. But now, in a statement, Lai stressed that he was making the trip to attend the inauguration of Paraguay’s new president, Santiago Peña Palacios.
Paraguay is one of only thirteen countries that maintain formal relations with Taiwan. Travel to South America serves as an opportunity for Taiwan officials to stop in the US, which has no formal diplomatic ties with Taipei.
Lai crosses Beijing’s red line
Lai’s visit is intended to ensure that he can be as reliable to the ally as outgoing incumbent Tsai. Lai stressed that “Taiwan is a country that upholds democracy, freedom and human rights.” On the other hand, he also wanted to “inform about our efforts for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific”. The fact that Lai emphasizes stability in the region is important to the American ally, since the candidate is always more down-to-earth than the controlled Tsai. In the beginning of the Taiwanese election campaign, Lai recently said that he was looking forward to the day when “the President of Taiwan can come to the White House”. That was a remark in the direction of formal independence, which Beijing regards as the “reddest of all red lines,” a reason for war.
Within the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Lai was assigned to the wing that advocates formal independence for Taiwan. A few years ago, Lai described himself as a “pragmatic advocate for Taiwan independence.” Recently, Lai reassured on television that if he wins, he will not seek to change the status quo between Taiwan and mainland China. Lai also made it clear that he, too, sees Taiwan firmly on America’s side. Referring to the Communist Party headquarters in Beijing, Lai called the January 2024 presidential election “a choice between Zhongnanhai and the White House”.
Beijing reacted comparatively cautiously to the trip of Lai, the leader in the polls. “Lai Ching-te stubbornly adheres to the separatist position of ‘Taiwan independence,'” the foreign ministry said on Sunday. “He’s a troublemaker through and through.” China’s navy announced a three-day maneuver off the coast of Zhejiang province, several hundred kilometers from Taiwan. Lai wanted to continue to Paraguay on Sunday evening, with a stopover in San Francisco planned on the way back.
#Taiwans #Vice #President #Lai #travels #USA #criticism #Beijing