Taiwan deputy leader's US trip panned

People supporting reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have been protesting against Taiwan deputy leader Lai Ching-te's planned visit to the United States this weekend, saying the move would jeopardize the stability over the Strait.

More than 600 Taiwan residents gathered around Lai's office in Taipei on Friday to protest his scheduled visit. Lai will reportedly stop in the US on his way to and from Paraguay as part of a seven-day journey beginning on Saturday.

They shouted slogans accusing Lai, also Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party's 2024 leadership candidate, of relying on the US to seek "independence" and causing harm to Taiwan.

Wu Jung-yuan, chairman of Taiwan's pro-reunification Labor Party, said, "Taiwan is a part of China, and cross-Strait affairs are internal matters for the Chinese people. Why should the US intervene?"

Lai's visit to the US is an attempt to collude with Washington to meddle in cross-Strait affairs, which should be opposed by Taiwan people, he said, adding that "advocating against outside intervention is the best way to show our love for Taiwan".

Ji Xin, publisher of The Observer magazine based in Taiwan, said Lai disregards Taiwan people's desire for peace and dialogue with the Chinese mainland, and people will use their votes to remove the DPP from power.

Lai has openly branded himself as a pragmatic advocate for "Taiwan independence". Last month he said "entering the White House" was his aim, and the US immediately sought clarification from him.

Ji Ye, deputy director of the Graduate Institute for Taiwan Studies at Xiamen University, said the planned trip by Lai underscores his role as a troublemaker with regard to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Ji said Lai regards the visit as an "interview" for seeking support from the US for elections in Taiwan early next year as his extreme stance over the Taiwan question has raised concerns over the trip's potential impact on cross-Strait relations and also on Washington's Taiwan policies.

"As a result, this time Lai aims to reduce US concerns about him and even hopes to gain more favor from the US so as to score points for his future political campaigns," he said.

Ji said that by allowing the transit, the US is seen as hollowing out its one-China policy once again, and it's justified for China to doubt Washington's sincerity in maintaining its relationship with Beijing.

However, Ji predicted that the US will remain cautious with regard to Lai as a result of the series of countermeasures from Beijing following former House speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August last year.

While some US lawmakers may show enthusiasm for the visit, it is expected that the US President Joe Biden administration will handle it prudently, even scrutinizing his words and actions, he said.

zhangyi1@chinadaily.com.cn