Taiwan’s Lai suits US with low-key stops but may yet draw ire from mainland China
Analysts note a shared caution against provoking Beijing in the Taiwanese leader’s layovers in Hawaii and Guam
Lai, who returned on Friday from a weeklong visit to three of Taipei’s Pacific allies, maintained a relatively low profile during his layovers in the US territories, meeting only local leaders and politicians.
Lai was greeted on his arrival in Honolulu last Saturday by Ingrid Larson, managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which represents US interests in the absence of official ties on the island.
Hawaiian governor Josh Green and Honolulu mayor Rick Blangiardi, as well as the city’s police chief, Arthur Logan, were also at the airport to welcome him.
During his two-day stop, Lai visited the USS Arizona Memorial, laid a wreath in honour of those who died in the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, and toured two museums.
He also visited the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and later attended a banquet hosted by Hawaii’s Taiwanese community.
On Sunday, Lai gave an eight-minute speech in a closed-door meeting at the US State Department-funded East-West Centre, before travelling to the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu, two of Taipei’s Pacific allies.
