Taiwan’s president departed for his trip to the South Pacific that will include a two-day transit in the U.S., his first since assuming office, though few details about his itinerary are public. The planned stopovers in Hawaii and the territory of Guam have already drawn fierce criticism from Bejing, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and objects to official exchanges between it and the U.S., the island’s biggest backer and military provider. Lai Ching-te left Saturday on a weeklong trip to visit the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau — three diplomatic allies of the self-governed island. It is unclear whether Lai will meet with any members of the incoming Trump administration.
