Taiwan vice president in New York for US stopover en route to Paraguay
Taiwan Vice President William Lai arrived in New York on Saturday at the start of a sensitive U.S. stopover, which China has condemned and Taiwanese officials fear could prompt more Chinese military activity around the democratically governed island. Lai, the front-runner to become Taiwan's president in elections in January, is officially making only transit stops in the United States on his way to and from Paraguay for the swearing in of its president next week.
The China Airlines flight Lai took from Taipei landed at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport shortly after 8:15 p.m. local time (0015 GMT), according to flight tracking app Flightradar24.
Neither Taiwan nor the United States has given exact details about his U.S. schedule, which both are aiming to keep low key, according to officials briefed on the trip. Taipei and Washington call U.S.
stopovers by Taiwanese officials routine and no cause for China to take «provocative» actions, but Beijing has reacted with anger at what it sees as a further sign of U.S. support for Taiwan, which it claims as its own. China is likely to launch military drills next week near Taiwan, using Lai's U.S.
stopovers as a pretext to intimidate voters ahead of a next year's election and make them «fear war,» Taiwanese officials say. Lai, speaking to reporters before leaving Taiwan, made only fleeting mention of the U.S. part of his trip, simply noting he was going to New York first.
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