As US grapples with China relations, Taiwan’s president scraps stop on American soil

WASHINGTON AP The Taiwanese regime has called off a plan for its president to transit through the United States on his way to Latin America The Associated Press has learned a decision leading to conflicting accounts of the reason for the cancellation Amid speculation that the Trump administration had opposed a proposed stopover by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te in New York Taipei explained Lai had no overseas progress plans due to domestic issues including natural disasters and tariff negotiations with the United States The other proposed stop on Lai s itinerary was Dallas Texas Whatever the reason the cancellation is certain to hand a major diplomatic achievement to Beijing and has drawn concerns from experts that the White House is setting a bad precedent for U S -China relations Details about the administration s decision were scant but one person with knowledge of the discussions advised AP that the U S had urged Taipei to rearrange the transit not go through New York Another person with knowledge of the discussions declared Beijing had sensed that it could ask President Donald Trump not to allow Lai to transit through the U S because of the perceived desperation by Trump to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because they are in current sensitive discussions with administration bureaucrats The White House mentioned it had nothing to say on this matter Tammy Bruce spokesperson for the State Department stated it was a hypothetical issue because Taiwan had not reported any tour plans for Lai There are a lot of questions and a lot of suppositions that have happened she informed reporters on Tuesday But I can say that it is a hypothetical at this point There have been no plans Discussions unfolded late last week By the end of last week it was clear that the Trump administration was discussing the likely transit by Lai though it was unclear if the administration had moved to block it according to one of the people It was also unclear if the Trump administration would be open to allowing Lai to transit through a city other than New York The United States is obligated by its own laws to give military endorsement to Taiwan which split from China in during a civil war Beijing suggests the island off its southeastern coast as sovereign territory and has vowed to seize it by force if necessary Jason Hsu senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former legislator in Taiwan s Legislative Yuan mentioned Taiwan invariably consults with the United States on transit and called it abnormal for Washington not to agree when such stopovers are permitted under the Taiwan Relations Act Bruce commented transits by high-level Taiwanese personnel including presidents are fully consistent with our longstanding agenda and guidelines In Taipei Karen Kuo spokesperson for the presidential office stated there was no immediate plan for Lai to excursion Considering the latest typhoon tragedy recovery efforts in southern Taiwan the U S -Taiwan reciprocal tariff measures and regional developments the president presently has no plans for overseas visits in the near future Kuo disclosed Routine practice that draws routine protests from Beijing The Chinese Embassy did not respond to an AP request for comment Beijing however has routinely protested any transit through the U S by Taiwanese leaders Lai was elected president of Taiwan in On his first overseas trip last November he made stops in Hawaii and Guam where he was received by U S politicians While such transits had been routine by previous Taiwanese presidents and under previous U S administrations the person familiar with the discussions declared Beijing considers Lai an exception because it views him as being more aggressive in seeking Taiwan independence Zack Cooper senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute stated that while current U S administrations have not allowed Taiwan to be used in negotiations with Beijing this decision raises questions about whether the Trump administration is reconsidering that approach And Jason Hsu a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and a former legislator from Taiwan s KMT party disclosed that in preventing Lai s stopover the Trump administration appears to be accommodating China s red lines Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee mentioned on Tuesday that Trump is folding to Beijing Rep Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois who is the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party called it another example of the Trump Administration caving to China in hopes of reaching a bargain deal Presidents of both parties have allowed Taiwan agents to transit through the U S in the past and now should be no different he declared in a comment Source