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HONOLULU: Taiwan President Lai Ching-te was feted with a red carpet, garlands of flowers and “alohas” as he kicked off his two-day stopover in Hawaii on Saturday, part of a Pacific tour that has sparked fiery rhetoric from Beijing.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has responded to Lai’s first overseas trip as president with threats to “resolutely crush” any attempt for independence.
Looking relaxed in a Hawaiian shirt, Lai flitted around the US island state, visiting a Pacific island history museum, an emergency management centre and the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbour.
Earlier, he was given the “red carpet treatment” on the tarmac of Honolulu’s international airport, according to his office, which said it was the first time a Taiwanese president had been given such a welcome.
He was met by Ingrid Larson, managing director in Washington of the American Institute in Taiwan, Hawaii Governor Josh Green, and others.
At every turn, Lai was presented with garlands of bright coloured flowers or leaves known as leis, greetings of “aloha”, and other Hawaiian gifts.
In the evening, Lai is expected to attend a dinner with US government officials and Taiwanese people living abroad.
Beijing opposes any international recognition of Taiwan and its claim to be a sovereign state and especially bristles at official contact between the island and the United States.
Like most countries, Washington does not recognize Taiwan diplomatically but is its most important backer and biggest supplier of arms.
After Hawaii, Lai will visit Taiwan’s allies the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau — the only Pacific island nations among the 12 countries that recognize Taiwan’s claim to statehood — and stop over for one night in the US territory of Guam.
Lai said shortly before take-off in Taipei that the trip “ushered in a new era of values-based democracy” and thanked the US government for “helping to make this trip a smooth one”.
He said he wanted to “continue to expand cooperation and deepen partnerships with our allies based on the values of democracy, peace and prosperity.”
“I once again emphasize that we are all Team Taiwan. We all work together, and we can successfully achieve our goals,” Lai told reporters on board the plane.
An AFP journalist is travelling with the president for the duration of the trip.
– Threat of invasion –
Taiwan lives under the constant threat of an invasion by China, which has refused to rule out using force to bring the island under its control.
Beijing deploys fighter jets, drones and warships around Taiwan on a near-daily basis to press its claims, with the number of sorties increasing in recent years.
Lai’s aircraft was accompanied by Taiwanese Air Force F-16 fighter jets for part of its route to Hawaii.
“I think this is very meaningful and also makes us feel that we have a long way to go on this trip and bear heavy responsibilities,” Lai told reporters on board, referring to the escort.
Taiwanese government officials have previously stopped over on US soil during visits to the Pacific or Latin America, angering China, which has sometimes responded with military drills around the island.
In a swift response to news of Lai’s trip on Thursday, Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China’s defense ministry said: “We firmly oppose official interaction with China’s Taiwan region in any form” and vowed to “resolutely crush” any attempts for Taiwan independence.
Lai’s trip follows the US approval on Friday of a proposed sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16s and radar systems, as well as communications equipment, in deals valued at $385 million in total.
The Taiwan president’s trip comes as Republican US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office in January.
Taipei has publicly congratulated Trump on his victory, joining other governments around the world in trying to get onside with the mercurial magnate, whose diplomatic style is often transactional.
During his campaign, Trump caused jitters by suggesting Taiwan should pay the United States for its defense.
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