TAIPEI: Taiwan’s vice president left Saturday on a trip to Paraguay — including stops in San Francisco and New York City — to reinforce relations with his government’s last diplomatic partner in South America at a time when China is stepping up efforts to isolate the self-ruled island democracy.
The visit elicited a sharp rebuke from Beijing, who labeled Taiwan Vice President William Lai as a separatist and “troublemaker through and through.” Beijing said it will take strong steps to protect its sovereignty.
The mainland’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as part of its territory and says it has no right to conduct foreign relations.
Lai was due to attend the inauguration of Paraguayan President-elect Santiago Peña on Tuesday.
Lai said he would meet officials of other governments ”so that the international society understands Taiwan is a country that persists in its democracy, human rights and freedom and actively takes part in international affairs.”
Paraguay is part of a dwindling group of 12 governments that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan. They are mostly small, poor countries in Africa and the Caribbean. Taiwan lost a partner this year when Honduras switched official recognition to Beijing.
Taiwan and China have been ruled separately since a civil war that ended in 1949. They both claim sovereignty over each other’s territory and refuse to have relations with governments that recognize the other side.
China’s vastly larger economy and population mean most governments have official relations with Beijing, though many, including the United States, maintain informal relations with Taiwan.
Peña visited Taiwan in July and told President Tsai Ing-wen his country would “stand with the people of Taiwan” during his five-year term.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government has stepped up efforts to intimidate Taiwan by flying fighter jets and bombers near the island and firing missiles into the sea. Some American and European politicians have responded by flying to Taiwan in a show of support.
Taiwanese officials usually stop in the United States en route to and from Latin America and meet with US officials, which irritates Beijing.
The Taiwanese government gave no indication Lai was due to meet American officials.
Lai was scheduled to have lunch Sunday in New York City with Taiwanese living there before leaving for Paraguay. En route home, he planned to stop in San Francisco for a dinner with Taiwanese there.
In a statement issued shortly after Lai landed in New York, China’s foreign ministry said it opposed any form of visit by “Taiwan independence separatists” to the United States.
“Lai stubbornly adheres to the separatist position of Taiwan independence and is a troublemaker through and through,” the ministry said.
Taiwan is the “core of China’s core interests” and facts have shown again and again that the reason for the rise in tensions in the Taiwan Strait is Taiwan trying to “rely on the United States to seek independence,” it said.
“China is closely following developments and will take resolute and vigorous measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
China has an especial dislike of Lai, who has previously described himself as a “practical worker for Taiwan independence,” though he has repeatedly said on the campaign trail he is not seeking to change the status quo, but that only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.
China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using Lai’s US stopovers as a pretext to intimidate voters ahead of a next year’s election and make them “fear war,” Taiwanese officials say.
