Taiwan leader tells U.S.: ‘We have to fight together’

HONOLULU, United States (AFP) — Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said in the United States on Saturday that we have to “fight together to prevent war” as he kicked off a week-long tour of the Pacific that has sparked fiery rhetoric from Beijing.

Speaking at a dinner in the US island state of Hawaii on Saturday, Lai said there were “no winners” from conflict and “we have to fight, fight together to prevent war.”

Lai earlier received a standing ovation as he walked down a red carpet for the gathering with US government officials, state politicians, members of Congress and Taiwanese expatriates.

He said the US flag and Hawaii state flag given to him as a gift “symbolize the longstanding friendship between Taiwan and the United States and lays the foundation for further cooperation in the future.”

The chairperson of the American Institute in Taiwan, the body that serves as the de facto US embassy, said the partnership between Washington and Taipei was “rock solid.”

“The opportunity for you to engage with thought leaders, the diaspora’s community and state and local leaders is invaluable, and I know will contribute to further strengthening the rock solid US-Taiwan partnership,” Laura Rosenberger said in a pre-recorded video played at the dinner.

Like most countries, Washington does not recognize Taiwan diplomatically but maintains close unofficial ties.

In a statement, China’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns” the US for Lai’s stopover and that it had “lodged serious protests with the US.”

“China will closely follow the developments and take resolute and strong measures to defend our nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said.

Lai, who is traveling abroad for the first time since taking office in May, was welcomed with red carpets, flower garlands and “alohas” as he began the two-day stopover in Hawaii.

Looking relaxed in a Hawaiian shirt, Lai flitted around, visiting a Pacific island history museum, an emergency management center and the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.

On his arrival, he was given the “red carpet treatment” on the tarmac of Honolulu’s international airport, according to his office, which said it was the first time a Taiwanese president had been given such a welcome.

Taiwan faces the constant threat of a military attack by China, which it considers part of its territory and regularly deploys fighter jets and warships around the self-ruled island to press its claims.

Washington is Taipei’s most important partner and biggest provider of weapons, but maintains a “strategic ambiguity” when it comes to putting boots on the ground to defend the island from China.