Taiwan's Lai set to push back US stopover as US-China trade talks continue, sources say
WASHINGTON/TAIPEI - Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te is set to delay a diplomatically sensitive trip his team had floated to the Trump administration for August that would have included stops in the United States, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Such a trip was bound to infuriate Beijing at a time when US President Donald Trump is
trying to negotiate a deal on trade with China. China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a claim Taiwan rejects, and regularly denounces any shows of support for Taipei from Washington.
The trip, which could have included visits to Guatemala, Belize and Paraguay, was never formally confirmed but had been discussed with the governments involved, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Mr Lai had considered stopping in New York and Dallas on the way to and from Latin America.
Mr Lai is set to delay the trip until at least later this year for a handful of reasons, including the need to organise his government's response to extreme weather in Taiwan, one of the sources said.
Two of the sources also pinned the delay on the ongoing US tariff talks with Taipei and Beijing, respectively.
Top US and Chinese economic officials huddled in Stockholm, Sweden, on July 28 to resume talks.
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The White House and China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Taiwan's Presidential Office was not immediately available for comment late on the night of July 28.
'There's no such thing as cancelling the trip. In fact, further arrangement for the trip will be made later this year,' according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter, who said stopovers were likely to include Texas and another city in the US mainland.
Responding to media inquiries earlier on July 28, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo said once the president's overseas visit itinerary is finalised, it will be announced to the public in a timely manner.
'However, considering the recent typhoon disaster recovery efforts in southern Taiwan, the US-Taiwan reciprocal tariff measures and regional developments, the president currently has no plans for overseas visits in the near future,' Ms Kuo said.
Lowering tensions
The decision comes as Mr Trump has tried to lower tensions with Chinese President Xi Jinping and potentially have a summit in Asia with him this autumn.
Mr Lai has yet to visit the US since Mr Trump took office in January, though late in 2024 he stopped over in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam while visiting the Pacific.
The US, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is its strongest international backer, bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. Washington is the island's top arms supplier.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.
Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future. Taiwan says it is already an independent country called the Republic of China, its official name.
Trump administration spokespeople have previously said "transits of the United States by high-level Taiwan officials, including presidents, are in line with past practice, and fully consistent with our longstanding policy."
China's Foreign Ministry has previously condemned what it has called 'sneaky visits' to the US by Taiwanese leaders under any pretext. They have said the US must understand how sensitive the Taiwan issue is and act with the utmost caution. REUTERS
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