Sawt Falasteen - Taiwan's Lai arrives in US for start of Pacific tour

China considers self-governed Taiwan to be part of its territory and opposes any international recognition of the island and its claim to be a sovereign state.

Beijing especially bristles at official exchanges between Taiwan and the United States, which does not recognize Taipei diplomatically but is its most important backer and biggest supplier of arms.

Lai, who has been an outspoken defender of Taiwan's sovereignty and whom Beijing calls a "separatist," is on his first overseas trip since taking office in May.

He landed in the US island state of Hawaii shortly before 7:30 am local time (1730 GMT), said an AFP journalist traveling with the president for the duration of the trip.

Lai will have a two-day stopover in Hawaii, with visits on Saturday to the Bishop Museum, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, and the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, according to his official schedule.

He will later spend one night in the US territory of Guam as he visits Taiwan's allies Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau.

They are the only Pacific island nations among the 12 remaining countries that recognize Taiwan, after China poached others with promises of aid and investment.

In a speech shortly before departing Taipei, Lai said the trip "ushered in a new era of values-based democracy" and he thanked the US government for "helping to make this trip a smooth one."

Lai said he wanted to "continue to expand cooperation and deepen partnerships with our allies based on the values of democracy, peace and prosperity."

Taiwan lives under the constant threat of an invasion by China, which has refused to rule out using force to bring the island under its control.

Beijing deploys fighter jets, drones and warships around Taiwan on a near-daily basis to press its claims, with the number of sorties increasing in recent years.

Taiwanese government officials have previously stopped over on US soil during visits to the Pacific or Latin America, angering China, which has sometimes responded with military drills around the island.

In a swift response to news of Lai's trip on Thursday, Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China's defence ministry said "we firmly oppose official interaction with China's Taiwan region in any form" and vowed to "resolutely crush" any attempts for Taiwan independence.

U.AlSharif--SF-PST