“China strongly condemns the US’s arranging for Lai Ching-te’s ‘stopover’ and has lodged serious protests with the US,” said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman.
Lai was feted with a red carpet, garlands of flowers and “alohas” as he kicked off his two-day stopover in Hawaii on Saturday, part of a Pacific tour that has sparked fiery rhetoric from Beijing.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has responded to Lai’s first overseas trip as president with threats to “resolutely crush” any attempt for independence.
Looking relaxed in a Hawaiian shirt, Lai toured the US island state, visiting a Pacific island history museum, an emergency management centre, and the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbour.
Acording to his office, it was the first time a Taiwanese president had been given such a welcome.
He was met at Honolulu’s international airport by Ingrid Larson, managing director in Washington of the American Institute in Taiwan, Hawaii governor Josh Green, and others.
At every turn, Lai was presented with garlands of bright coloured flowers or leaves known as leis, greetings of “aloha”, and other Hawaiian gifts.
In the evening, Lai was expected to attend a dinner with US government officials and Taiwanese people living abroad.
Beijing opposes any international recognition of Taiwan and its claim to be a sovereign state and especially bristles at official contact between the island and the US.
Like most countries, Washington does not recognise Taiwan diplomatically but is its most important backer and biggest supplier of arms.
After Hawaii, Lai will visit Taiwan’s allies the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau – the only Pacific island nations among the 12 countries that recognise Taiwan’s claim to statehood – and stop over for one night in the US territory of Guam.
Lai said shortly before take-off in Taipei that the trip “ushered in a new era of values-based democracy” and thanked the US government for “helping to make this trip a smooth one”.
He said he wanted to “continue to expand cooperation and deepen partnerships with our allies based on the values of democracy, peace and prosperity.”
“I once again emphasize that we are all Team Taiwan. We all work together, and we can successfully achieve our goals,” he told reporters onboard the plane.