China is likely to launch military drills in the coming days near Taiwan, using President Lai Ching-te's upcoming trip to the Pacific and scheduled U.S. transit as a pretext, according to assessments by Taiwan and regional security officials.
Lai will start a visit to Taipei's three diplomatic allies in the Pacific on Saturday, and sources said he was planning stops in Hawaii and possibly the U.S. territory of Guam in a sensitive trip coming shortly after the U.S. election.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and the most important issue in its relations with Washington, has a strong dislike of Lai whom Beijing calls a "separatist."
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