Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen heads to US, warning of threat from ‘overseas forces’

Visit to the island’s Caribbean allies will include stops in the United States for four nights in total

She vows to work with countries with similar ideas ‘to ensure stability of the democratic system’

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Tsai Ing-wen sets off on Thursday to visit four allies in the Caribbean, as well as the United States in both directions. Photo: Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan)

Published: 3:08pm, 11 Jul 2019Updated: 9:29pm, 11 Jul 2019

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen left for a trip to the United States and the Caribbean on Thursday, warning that democracy must be defended and Taiwan faced threats from “overseas forces”, in a veiled reference to mainland China.

Beijing, which claims the self-ruled and democratic Taiwan as its own and views the island as a wayward province, has called on the US not to allow Tsai to transit there on her overseas tour.

Tsai’s time in the US will be unusually long, as normally she spends just a night at a time on transit stops.

She is spending four nights there in total, two nights on her way to visit four Caribbean allies and two nights on the way back. Tsai will go to New York on her way there, and then is expected to stop in Denver on the way back.

The US State Department has said there has been no change in the US’ one-China policy, under which Washington officially recognises Beijing and not Taipei, while assisting Taiwan.

Speaking at Taipei’s main international airport at Taoyuan, Tsai said she would share the values of freedom and transparency with Taiwan’s allies, and was looking forward to finding more international space for Taiwan.