President William Lai (賴清德) spoke to Republican US House Speaker Mike Johnson yesterday by phone, Lai's office told AFP today.
The Presidential Office confirmed that a call between Lai and Johnson happened yesterday without elaborating on the discussion, an AFP journalist travelling with Lai on his tour of Pacific nations and territories said.
The call marked the first direct conversation between the House speaker and Lai since the latter assumed office in May.
Photo: Bloomberg
Johnson had previously congratulated Lai upon his election in January and renewed the US’ commitment to the security and democracy of its Indo-Pacific partners, the Voice of America reported.
During a two-day visit to the US state of Hawaii at the beginning of Lai’s first overseas trip to visit Taiwan’s allies in the Pacific, Lai discussed "China's military threats" towards Taiwan in a 20-minute call with former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi, and met with US government officials and members of Congress.
Lai today said that Taiwan's partnership with the US was "rock solid" during a visit to the US territory of Guam.
Speaking at a banquet in Guam’s capital Hagatna today, Lai hailed the "deep connections" and "rock-solid partnership" between Taiwan and the US.
"Together, we are good partners in defending democracy, freedom and prosperity for both sides," Lai told an audience that included Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero and Ingrid Larson from the Washington office of the de facto US embassy in Taiwan.
At the banquet, Larson said the US would keep helping Taiwan "bolster its self-defense capabilities" and its "ability to protect itself against coercion."
Additional reporting by AFP
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