Taiwan's Lai set to push back U.S. stopover as U.S.-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 U.S. 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. Lai had considered stopping in New York and Dallas on the way to and from Latin America.
Lai is set to delay the trip until at least later this year for a handful of reasons, including the need to organize 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 U.S. tariff talks with Taipei and Beijing, respectively. Top U.S. and Chinese economic officials huddled in Stockholm, Sweden, on Monday to resume talks.
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 Monday night.
"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 U.S. mainland.
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Responding to media inquiries earlier on Monday, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo said once the president's overseas visit itinerary is finalized, it will be announced to the public in a timely manner.
"However, considering the recent typhoon disaster recovery efforts in southern Taiwan, the U.S.-Taiwan reciprocal tariff measures and regional developments, the president currently has no plans for overseas visits in the near future," Kuo said.
LOWERING TENSIONS
The decision comes as Trump has tried to lower tensions with Chinese President Xi Jinping and potentially have a summit in Asia with him this autumn.
Lai has yet to visit the U.S. since Trump took office in January, though late last year he stopped over in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam while visiting the Pacific.
The U.S., 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 U.S. by Taiwanese leaders under any pretext. They have said the U.S. must understand how sensitive the Taiwan issue is and act with the utmost caution. REUTERS
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