President William Lai (賴清德) is to make stopovers in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam during his seven-day trip to the South Pacific, his first official visit since taking office in May, the Presidential Office said yesterday.
Lai, accompanied by a delegation, is scheduled to depart for the South Pacific on a chartered flight at 4:30pm tomorrow, stopping first in Hawaii for a two-night layover before traveling to the Marshall Islands, an office official said.
After wrapping up his visits to the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu, the president is to transit through Guam, spending a night there before flying to Palau, said the official, who declined to be named.
Photo: Taipei Times
The president was scheduled to “make some visits” and “meet with old friends” while in Hawaii and Guam, in addition to attending closed-door think tank events and dinners with Taiwanese expatriates, the official said, without elaborating.
Arrangements for Lai’s layovers would follow past practices and adhere to protocols to ensure the president’s safety, dignity and comfort, the official added.
The South Pacific tour, which is to conclude on Friday next week, aims to bolster Taiwan’s partnerships with its diplomatic allies, and foster bilateral cooperation in areas that benefit the nations and their people, the official said.
Information provided by the office showed that Lai is to meet separately with the heads of government of the three allies: Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, Tuvaluan Prime Minister Feleti Teo and Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr.
Lai would also address the legislature of the Marshall Islands and meet with its speaker, Brenson Wase, the information showed.
He would also visit several facilities built with Taiwanese funding in the Pacific island states, and inspect medical and technical missions there.
Taipei has been put on high alert for a potential military drill by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in response to Lai’s overseas visit.
Speaking at the legislature in Taipei yesterday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said that the government “does not rule out the possibility,” given that Beijing has usually had some response when Taiwanese presidents traveled overseas.
Lin called on Beijing to refrain from excessive acts that could undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The National Security Council has prepared contingencies in the event of potential Chinese aggression, and the government is in close contact with allies and like-minded countries, he added.
Lai is visiting Taiwan’s South Pacific allies as his first overseas trip as president, as all three countries elected new leaders in the past year and the last presidential trip there was in 2019, Lin said.
Meanwhile, the air force early yesterday conducted its quarterly defense drill involving its main fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles, the military branch said in a statement.
The exercise was conducted from 5am to 7am to bolster the nation’s defense capabilities, and test the response and engagement procedures of air defense units, the air force said.
It was intended to evaluate the readiness and engagement procedures of all military branches, enhance overall operational effectiveness and ensure the security of Taiwan’s airspace, the Ministry of National Defense wrote on X.
Additional reporting by Yu Tai-lang and Lery Hiciano
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