Donald Trump blocks Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te from New York stopover
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Trump’s reported snub of Taiwan president spurs concerns over deference to China
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te was reportedly denied the opportunity to stop over in New York City during a planned trip to Paraguay, Guatemala and Belize. On Monday, the office of the president in Taiwan released a statement indicating that Lai “currently has no plans to go on an overseas visit,” according to Taiwan-state media. A source familiar with the matter at the State Department confirmed that no formal travel plans for Lai have been announced. U.S.-Taiwan solidarity has long included symbolic gestures, but critics suggest that the Trump administration may be undermining that relationship in a bid to engage China on trade. The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the reported snub of Lai’s travel plans by the Trump White House, but a State Department source indicated that the administration continues to be committed to the government’s one China policy.
The Financial Times reported Monday that the administration has denied Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te the opportunity to stop over in New York City during a planned trip to Paraguay, Guatemala and Belize — all countries that recognize Taiwan as its own independent country.
However, on Monday, the office of the president in Taiwan released a statement indicating that Lai “currently has no plans to go on an overseas visit,” according to Taiwan-state media. A source familiar with the matter at the State Department confirmed that no formal travel plans for President Lai have been announced.
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President Lai’s public engagements at home continue, as reports emerge the Trump White House barred him from a New York City layover en route to Central America.
“In consideration of the ongoing rehabilitation efforts in southern Taiwan following a recent typhoon and regional developments including the United States’ tariffs, the president currently has no plans to go on an overseas visit,” the statement from President Lai said.
According to the Financial Times, which spoke with unnamed sources said to be intimately familiar with the alleged trip, Lai’s decision not to travel came after he was informed that he would not be able to stop in New York City on his way to Central America.
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Lai’s trip was also reportedly supposed to include a stop in Dallas, but it is unclear if the Trump administration was also planning to bar Lai from stopping there as well, according to the Financial Times.
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U.S.-Taiwan solidarity has long included symbolic gestures — but critics suggest that the Trump administration may be undermining that relationship in a bid to engage China on trade.
The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. However, a State Department source familiar with the matter indicated that the Trump administration continues to be committed to the government’s long-standing one China policy, rooted in the Taiwan Relations Act, joint diplomatic agreements with China and longstanding pledges crafted by the government in regard to Taiwan and China.
Despite being in line with longstanding government policy, the move still garnered criticism from some Asia policy experts and critics of Trump.
Lyle Morris, a senior fellow on foreign policy and national security at the Asia Society’s Center for China Analysis, said the “first concrete move” under Trump’s second term regarding Taiwan is “a cause for concern.”
“The assumption is this decision was made in the context of ongoing US-China trade negotiations and a possible Trump-Xi meeting,” Morris said on X. “Still, not a good sign for enduring US-Taiwan relations.”
News broke Monday afternoon that the Trump administration was allegedly blocking Taiwan’s president from making a stop in New York City en route to a diplomatic trip to Central America. However, sources familiar with the matter have indicated no travel plans for Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te have been formally announced.
“Denying President Lai a transit is a deeply concerning break with bipartisan precedent and sends a reckless signal to Beijing that our partnership with Taiwan is on the negotiating table,” added Democrat Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., in a post on X following the news about President Lai’s alleged travel.
“American leadership is now seen as deeply unreliable, with Trump’s fits and starts with Ukraine, NATO allies, and other key partners. I urge President Trump to reverse course and do what presidents of both parties have done and allow a transit, and ask my colleagues in Congress to join me in that call.”
News of the Trump administration’s decision to prohibit the Taiwanese president from stopping in New York City comes as the president is reportedly feeling out a potential trip to Beijing himself, alongside major U.S. CEOs. Nothing so far has been set in stone regarding Trump’s trip, however.
Original article source: Trump’s reported snub of Taiwan president spurs concerns over deference to China
Trump blocks Taiwan president’s NYC stopover due to pressure from China – FT
Lai had planned to stop in New York on his way to Belize and Guatemala. The move was made after China expressed concerns about Lai’s planned trip. Lai has since said he will not travel to the US in the near future. The decision was made to avoid irritating China, which is trying to make a deal with Lai to end a trade dispute with Taiwan. The U.S. and Taiwan have been at odds over trade since the 1980s.
The report states that in August, Lai planned to travel through the US en route to Paraguay, Guatemala, and Belize, countries that recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state. However, according to three sources, the US prohibited Lai from visiting New York on his route after China expressed objections.
Specifically, Lai had reached out to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, requesting to attend an event in New York during his trip. He also planned to visit Dallas.
However, according to three sources, the US prohibited Lai from visiting New York on his way. It remains unclear whether the refusal was only for the New York stopover or if the president was barred from transiting through the US altogether.
The situation arose after China expressed objections to Washington regarding this visit. It is noted that Beijing regularly opposes visits by Taiwanese leaders to the US, which does not have official diplomatic relations with Taipei.
Earlier in 2023, the Biden administration allowed then-President Tsai Ing-wen to stop in New York on her way to Belize and Guatemala.
China and Taiwan expert Bonnie Glaser from the German Marshall Fund said that the US decision reflects that President Donald Trump wants to avoid irritating Beijing while trade negotiations continue and a possible summit with Xi Jinping is being prepared.
She added that Trump should resist pressure from China and not give in to it. She said that by signaling that some aspects of US relations with Taiwan were open for discussion, Trump would weaken deterrence and embolden Xi to demand further concessions regarding Taiwan.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Lai’s office released a statement saying that he does not plan to travel abroad in the near future.
According to sources familiar with the situation, this decision was made after Lai was informed that he would not be allowed to visit New York.
Lai drops overseas trip after Trump blocks New York stopover
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te’s administration on Monday denied having overseas travel plans. Western media reported that the trip was canceled after US President Donald Trump blocked his proposed transit through New York. The Financial Times said the decision came after protests from China. Lai’s office said Monday that due to typhoon recovery efforts and tariff negotiations with the US, Lai currently has no overseasTravel plans, according to CNA. He was planning to visit Asuncion in August, with possible stopovers in Guatemala, Belize, and the US.
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena had said on July 14 that Lai was planning to visit Asuncion in August, with possible stopovers in Guatemala, Belize, and the US. However, Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said Monday that due to typhoon recovery efforts and tariff negotiations with the US, Lai currently has no overseas travel plans, per CNA .
Reuters and the Financial Times reported that Trump’s administration rejected Lai’s planned transit through New York, forcing Taiwan to cancel the Latin America trip. The Financial Times said the decision came after protests from China.
Citing three sources, the Financial Times reported Lai canceled the trip after learning he would not be allowed to transit through New York. He had also reportedly planned to stop in Dallas, but it was unclear whether only the New York leg was denied or if all US transits were blocked.
Both reports said Trump’s decision was primarily driven by ongoing US-China trade negotiations. The Financial Times also reported that as part of those talks, the Trump administration had temporarily suspended certain US Commerce Department export controls targeting China.
The trade talks are taking place in Stockholm. On Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held over five hours of talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), with more expected on Tuesday.
The Financial Times also cited Randall G. Schriver, chair of the Project 2049 Institute, who said the move echoed past US hesitancy to engage with Taiwan out of concern over provoking Beijing.
If it was done to appease Beijing, it was a mistake, said Schriver. “This is the old playbook — the ‘tyranny of the calendar’ — where there’s never a good time to do something on Taiwan. You box yourself in.”
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Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te was planning to stop in New York on Aug. 4 and then Dallas 10 days later. Planning for the trip was thrown into flux late last week when Taiwanese officials couldn’t get their US counterparts to give the green light. Some officials in the US as well as in Taipei fear President Donald Trump may concede too much to China as he seeks a meeting with President Xi Jinping, people said. The White House and US State Department didn’t reply to requests for comment made outside normal working hours.
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Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te was planning to stop in New York on Aug. 4 and then Dallas 10 days later as part of a trip to diplomatic allies Paraguay, Guatemala and Belize, Bloomberg reported earlier this month. Planning for the trip was thrown into flux late last week when Taiwanese officials couldn’t get their US counterparts to give the green light, the people said.
The hesitation over allowing Lai’s trip has unnerved some officials in the US as well as in Taipei who fear President Donald Trump may concede too much to China as he seeks a meeting with Xi, the people said. Bloomberg reported earlier that Trump’s administration was reaching out to CEOs to accompany him on a possible trip to Beijing later this year.
The White House and US State Department didn’t reply to requests for comment made outside normal working hours.
President Lai isn’t planning any overseas travel in the near future, given the need for typhoon recovery work in southern Taiwan and tariff negotiations with the US, the presidential office said in a statement Monday.
The US has delayed such trips in the past, and could yet suggest an alternative timeframe and layover locations. Last year, Lai pushed back a planned transit through Hawaii and Guam by several months following a Biden administration request to wait until after the US election, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Lai’s planned visit comes at a delicate diplomatic moment. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Monday are convening their trade teams in Stockholm to advance talks for a deal with ramifications for global markets. An extension of a trade truce reached between both sides is expected and would help pave the way for a Trump-Xi meeting.
China, which has branded Lai a “separatist” and “parasite,” views Taiwan as the most sensitive issue in relations with other countries. It has increasingly opposed US interactions with Taiwanese leaders, in particular by staging large-scale military exercises surrounding the island following former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in 2022.
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. 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. 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 claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a claim Taiwan rejects.
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.”