Taiwanese vice-president to stop in US and have meetings on way to Honduras

Name: US delegation visits Taiwan as Beijing warns of military action against the island
Uploaded: 2022-01-20T10:06:54.000Z
Duration: 2 min 2 s
Description: US delegation visits Taiwan as Beijing warns of military action against the island

William Lai will stop in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and have virtual meetings with US ‘political dignitaries’, Taiwan’s presidential office says

Lai is going to Honduras for the inauguration of president-elect Xiomara Castro, who had suggested she would switch allegiance to Beijing before backtracking

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William Lai Ching-te will travel via the US in both directions when he visits Honduras. Photo: Facebook

Lawrence Chung

Published: 6:06pm, 20 Jan 2022Updated: 6:48pm, 20 Jan 2022

Taiwanese Vice-President William Lai Ching-te will stop off in the United States and have virtual meetings with US politicians during his trip to Honduras to bolster ties with the Central American country.

Lai’s stop in the US next week is expected to draw angry protests from Beijing, which has repeatedly warned Washington against having official contact with the island. Beijing regards self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be brought into its fold, by force if necessary.

The visit to Honduras, for the inauguration of president-elect Xiomara Castro, is aimed at reiterating Taiwan’s support for the new government and pledging deeper cooperation in various domains.

Castro had suggested during her campaign that she would switch her country’s official diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, but she has backtracked since winning the presidential election in November.

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US delegation visits Taiwan as Beijing warns of military action against the island

Lai will lead a 26-member delegation for a six-day visit that will begin next Tuesday. He will stay overnight in Los Angeles before heading to Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, for the January 27 inauguration. The vice-president will then stay overnight in San Francisco on January 29 before returning to Taipei, the island’s presidential office said.