Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian has finished his trip to the United States, and the Chinese government is upset. It considers Taiwan part of China, so how dare Washington allow the head of a "renegade province" to land in the U.S., even if he is only on his way to and from Latin America.
It's not the first time a Taiwanese president has visited America, of course. But it is the first time one was free to see more than an airport or hotel and to meet with U.S. political figures.
In 1994, then President Lee Teng-hui stopped at a military base in Hawaii, also on his way to Latin America. The Clinton administration insisted that he stay on the facility.
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