TAIPEI (Reuters) – A war has no winners and peace is priceless, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said in Hawaii after visiting a memorial to the Pearl Harbor attack on a trip to the United States that angered Beijing.
Lai is making a sensitive two-day trip to Hawaii that is officially just a stopover on the way to three Pacific island nations that maintain formal ties with Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.
In a speech to members of Taiwan’s foreign community and Hawaii politicians, including members of Congress Ed Case and Jill Tokuda, Lai referred to visiting the USS Arizona Memorial earlier in the day and laying a wreath in memory of those who died. in the Japanese attack of 1941.
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“Our visit to the memorial today, in particular, reminds us of the importance of ensuring peace. Peace has no price and war has no winner. We have to fight – fight together – to avoid war,” Lai said in English, in a live-streamed speech.
While Lai participated in the event, China said it complained to Washington for arranging for his transit through United States territory. Furthermore, he promised “resolute retaliation” against a potential arms sale to Taiwan that the US announced hours before Lai began his trip.
China’s Foreign Ministry made “stern representations” about the transit, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement.
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“We firmly oppose official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan and the ‘transit’ of leaders from the Taiwan region to the United States under any name and for any reason,” he said.
Security sources told Reuters that China could launch a new round of war games around Taiwan in response to Lai’s visit. This is his first trip abroad since taking office in May, after winning elections in January.
China has staged two rounds of major war games around Taiwan this year.
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In his speech, Lai switched to Taiwanese, also known as Hokkien, and said that when united, all difficulties can be overcome. “Taiwan’s democracy can become a model for the international community”, he believes.
Lai and his government reject Beijing’s sovereignty claims and say he has the right to visit other countries.
After Hawaii, Lai will head to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, with another stop in the US territory of Guam. Hawaii and Guam are home to large US military bases.
