HONOLULU — Taiwan President Lai Ching-te visited a U.S. State Department-funded think tank on Sunday as part of a two-day stop in Hawaii during a Pacific island tour that has drawn sharp criticism from Beijing.
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Engagements at the East-West Center
Lai met with Suzanne Puanani Vares-Lum, president of the East-West Center, a think tank and educational institution on the University of Hawaii’s Manoa campus. During the visit, Lai exchanged gifts and spoke to an audience at the center, though journalists were escorted out before his remarks began.
Vares-Lum described the East-West Center as an ideal venue for such engagements, emphasizing its mission to strengthen ties between the United States, Asia, and the Pacific.
“There is something about Hawaii that allows us to really just see where we connect on a human-to-human level,” she said.
Lai’s visit follows similar stops made by his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, in 2017 and 2019.
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Tensions with China
China’s Foreign Ministry condemned Lai’s visit and announced it had lodged a formal complaint with the United States. The ministry also criticized a newly announced U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, which includes $385 million in spare parts for F-16 fighter jets and tactical communication systems.
“China will closely monitor the situation’s development and take resolute and forceful measures to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the ministry said.
China claims Taiwan as its territory and views any official interaction between Taiwan and foreign governments as a violation of its sovereignty.
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Diplomatic and Strategic Context
Hawaii is Lai’s first stop on a weeklong tour that includes visits to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau—three of the 12 nations that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
The visit comes amid ongoing tensions in U.S.-China-Taiwan relations. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the U.S. is obligated to help Taiwan defend itself but maintains a policy of strategic ambiguity regarding military intervention in the event of a Chinese invasion.
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Meetings and Discussions
On Saturday, Hawaii Governor Josh Green hosted Lai at the state’s emergency management agency, where they discussed disaster preparedness and governance influenced by their shared medical backgrounds.
“Together, we extended a warm aloha to Lai and his delegation, highlighting Hawai’i’s shared values of resilience and collaboration with Taiwan,” Green wrote on Instagram.
Lai also met with Hawaii’s congressional representatives and state lawmakers at a dinner banquet organized by the Taiwanese American community.
U.S. Representative Ed Case praised the enduring ties between Taiwan and the U.S., grounded in shared values and interests.
Political Implications
While it remains unclear if Lai will meet senior officials from the Biden administration during his stopover, the visit highlights the delicate balance in U.S.-Taiwan relations as Washington continues to engage with Taipei despite Beijing’s objections.
