Beijing condemns US for receiving ‘troublemaking’ Taiwanese presidential front runner William Lai

Name: China’s PLA sends dozens of warplanes near Taiwan as island holds annual Han Kuang military drills
Uploaded: 2023-08-13T14:00:11.000Z
Duration: 3 min 1 s
Description: China’s PLA sends dozens of warplanes near Taiwan as island holds annual Han Kuang military drills

Lai made a brief stopover in New York en route to Paraguay, prompting accusations that Washington was supporting separatists on the island

The Chinese foreign ministry accused US and Taiwanese officials of arranging for Lai to ‘engage in political activities’ during his visit

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William Lai greets supporters outside the Lotte Hotel in Manhattan during his stopover in New York. Photo: Reuters

Cyril Ip

Published: 10:00pm, 13 Aug 2023

Beijing has hit out at the United States for receiving William Lai Ching-te, the current Taiwanese vice-president and leading presidential contender, describing him as a “troublemaker” and accusing Washington of using the island to contain China.

Lai briefly entered New York on Saturday before leaving for Paraguay – one of the island’s last remaining diplomatic allies – for the inauguration of President Santiago Pena, who himself spent five days in Taiwan in July.

Three separate official statements condemned the visit, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying on Sunday: “We firmly oppose any visit by Taiwan independence separatists to the US … under whatever pretext, and we firmly oppose the US government having any form of official contact with the Taiwan region.”

Before returning to Taiwan, Lai will again pause in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Beijing said the stopovers reflect how Taipei’s efforts to solicit US support for Taiwanese independence have fuelled cross-strait tensions.

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China’s PLA sends dozens of warplanes near Taiwan as island holds annual Han Kuang military drills

In the past Taiwanese officials have used transits through the US to bolster the island’s international presence, most recently when President Tsai Ing-wen met House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.