Taiwans Lai arrives in US for start of Pacific tour [Video]

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived Saturday in the United States for the start of a week-long tour in the Pacific that he said would usher in a new era of democracy, but has sparked fury in Beijing.

China considers self-governed Taiwan to be part of its territory and opposes any international recognition of the island and its claim to be a sovereign state.

Beijing especially bristles at official exchanges between Taiwan and the United States, which does not recognize Taipei diplomatically but is its most important backer and biggest supplier of arms.

Lai, who has been an outspoken defender of Taiwan’s sovereignty and whom Beijing calls a “separatist,” is on his first overseas trip since taking office in May.

He landed in the US island state of Hawaii shortly before 7:30 am local time (1730 GMT), said an AFP journalist traveling with the president for the duration of the trip.

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