Taiwan leader's Pacific trip through US territories makes waves in regional politics
During his Pacific-nation tour Taiwanʼs top official made an unexpected stop in Hawaii‚ visiting Pearl Harbor memorial. His transit through US territories caused immediate push-back from mainland China
Lai Ching-te made a quick-stop in Hawaii (part of his pacific-nations journey) where he spoke about peace and democracy: this two-day visit wasnt welcomed by mainland authorities
Peace is priceless and war has no winner. We have to fight - fight together - to prevent war
The taiwan leader went to USS Arizona Memorial and put down a wreath; his visit included meet-ups with local politicians - Ed Case and Jill Tokuda (who represent Hawaii in Congress)
Mainland officials sent strong-worded messages to Washington about letting Lai use US territory as transit point; they also mentioned counter-steps against new US-Taiwan arms deal. Security experts think new military practice near taiwan might happen - its already happened twice since new-years
His travel plan includes these stops:
* Marshall Islands
* Tuvalu
* Palau
* Guam
Lai switched between English and Taiwanese (also called Hokkien) in his speech‚ saying that working as one helps beat any problems. He thinks taiwans democratic system can show other countries good example - this statement comes after winning election back in january and getting top job in may
The mainland sees taiwan as its territory but Lai and his team dont agree: they say they can freely visit other countries. His route includes US military spots (Hawaii and Guam) which adds more weight to this diplomatic trip
