No US stopover for Taiwanese leader could ease path to Xi-Trump meeting this year
Proposed stop in New York reportedly declined by Washington as Taipei says there are no immediate plans for overseas travel
Citing people familiar with the decision, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday that Washington told Lai he could not stop in New York on the way to South America, where he was earlier reported to be planning to visit Paraguay, Guatemala and Belize.
Reuters reported that Lai’s overseas trip was not cancelled but rather delayed until later this year, and that stopovers would include Texas and another city on the US mainland.
Taiwanese Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo said the decision not to travel was based on ongoing rehabilitation efforts in southern Taiwan following a recent typhoon, regional developments, and US tariffs.
The South China Morning Post reported earlier this month that Lai was planning a US “stopover” in August that could take him to New York and Texas en route to South America, a move that was bound to anger Beijing.