A national security official yesterday declined to confirm media reports that President William Lai (賴清德) was planning a trip to Taiwan's South Pacific allies with a stopover in the US state of Hawaii as soon as late this month.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the planning of the president's overseas visits "proceeds according to the original pace" and that "there will be no surprise."
The official added any such visit would be "announced when the time is ripe."
Photo: Taipei Times
Local media has reported that Lai was planning to visit the South Pacific late this month or early next month, and would stop over in Hawaii.
Taiwan currently has 12 diplomatic allies, three of which are in the South Pacific, namely Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands.
Rumors about Lai embarking on his overseas visit after taking office in May have circulated intermittently for months, with the Presidential Office responding only that "any such arrangements will be reported to the public in due time."
Despite a lack of formal diplomatic relations, Washington has over the years allowed Taiwanese presidents to make stopovers on US soil during their trips to visit Taiwan's diplomatic allies.
How they were received in the US was often interpreted by the media as a sign of how Washington wanted to handle its relations with Taipei.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) traveled to the South Pacific twice during her two four-year tenures, in 2017 and 2019.
Her 2017 trip included layovers in Honolulu, Hawaii and Guam.
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