China has strongly condemned Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s two-day stopover in Hawaii, which began Saturday as part of his Pacific tour, accusing the U.S. of offering implicit support for the democratic island’s formal independence and warning of a possible “resolute and forceful” response.
“China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the U.S. and the Taiwan region, firmly opposes any trip by the leader of the Taiwan authorities to the U.S. in any name or under whatever pretext, and firmly opposes any form of U.S. connivance or support for ‘Taiwan independence' separatists and their separatist activities,” the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said in a statement.
Lai’s “transit” in Hawaii comes ahead of visits to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, three of the 12 countries that still have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan amid a concerted campaign by China to pry away Taipei’s handful of remaining diplomatic partners.
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