Taiwan president cancels South America trip after Trump blocked New York stopover
Lai Ching-te's trip to Central America looks set to be scrapped after China raised objections with Washington about the visit.
Mr Lai had planned to transit in New York en route to Paraguay, Guatemala and Belize, all of which recognise Taiwan's sovereignty.
But the Trump administration blocked Mr Lai from landing in the city after Beijing flagged the visit, three people familiar with the decision told the Financial Times.
'...considering the recent typhoon disaster recovery efforts in southern Taiwan, the US-Taiwan reciprocal tariff measures and regional developments, the president currently has no plans for overseas visits in the near future,' Karen Kuo, the spokesman for the Taiwanese president said.
The timing of such a trip was likely to infuriate Beijing which is trying to negotiate a deal on trade with President Donald Trump.
China has not ruled out use of force
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a claim Taiwan rejects, and regularly denounces any shows of support for Taipei from Washington.
Xi Jinping, the president of China, has not ruled out the use of force in the 'reunification of the motherland'.
Mr Lai has yet to visit the US since Trump took office in January, though late last year he stopped over in Hawaii and the American territory of Guam while visiting the Pacific.
The US, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is its strongest international backer, bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
Several people familiar with the decision to block the New York stopover suggested the administration was trying to avoid jeopardising trade talks with China.
Bonnie Glaser, a China and Taiwan expert at the German Marshall Fund, told the FT that the move suggested that 'Trump wants to avoid irritating Beijing while US-China negotiations are ongoing and planning gets under way for a possible summit with Xi Jinping'.
'Trump should be standing up to People's Republic of China pressure, not caving into it,' she said.
'By signalling that aspects of the US relationship with Taiwan are negotiable, Trump will weaken deterrence and embolden Xi to press for additional concessions regarding Taiwan.'
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