TAIPEI: Taiwan Vice President William Lai departs on Saturday for a visit to Washington, which Beijing has denounced, and Taiwanese authorities express fear of tension in the region, Reuters reported.
William Lai, is officially making transit stops in the US on his way to and from Paraguay, Western media maintained.
Taiwan Vice President Visits Washington Amid Tensions with Beijing
Taiwan and the US said such stopovers are usual, and no cause for Beijing to take “provocative” acts, but China has reacted with annoyance at what it sees as a sign of Washington’s support for Taipei.
Taiwanese authorities added that Beijing was likely to launch a military exercise next week near Taiwan, exploiting William Lai’s stopovers in the US in order to scare voters ahead of a next year’s elections.
In a statement via social media, the vice president said that he will convey the blessings of the people of Taiwan to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new president of Paraguay.
As per Western media reports, neither the US nor Taiwan had provided exact information about his Washington schedule.
However, in a statement, the US State Department said that consistent with past journeys, the Vice President would visit the Virginia-based American Institute in Taiwan, which carries out unofficial ties with Taiwan.
