Taiwan President Lai Ching-te departed Saturday on a weeklong tour of the Pacific that includes a stopover in Hawaii, a travel plan that has ignited fiery threats from Beijing.
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.
Lai, on his first trip abroad since taking office in May, will stop over in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam as he visits Taiwan allies Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau.
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