Pelosi’s long-standing support for Taiwan has infuriated China, which responded to her visit in 2022 to Taipei with massive military drills around the island.
Lai and Pelosi discussed among other things “China’s military threats toward Taiwan”, presidential spokeswoman Karen Kuo told reporters, describing the 20-minute call between the “long-time friends” as “warm and amicable”.
China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, opposes any international recognition of Taiwan and its claim to be a sovereign state.
Beijing especially bristles at official contact between the island and the US, which is Taiwan’s most important supporter and biggest arms supplier.
China has already fumed over more US arms sales to the island and Lai’s stopover in Hawaii, where he was welcomed with red carpets, garlands of flowers and “alohas”.
Since arriving on Saturday, Lai has met with state governor Josh Green, members of the US Congress, officials from the de facto US embassy in Taiwan and others.
In his first public speech of the trip, Lai said Saturday that we have to “fight together to prevent war,” warning there were “no winners” from conflict.
On the eve of his weeklong trip, the US approved a proposed sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16s and radar systems, as well as communications equipment, in deals valued at US$385 million.
China’s foreign ministry called on the US over the weekend to “immediately stop arming Taiwan and stop abetting and supporting ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”
“China will take strong and resolute countermeasures to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” it added.
In a separate statement, the foreign ministry said China “strongly condemns” the US for Lai’s stopover and that it had “lodged serious protests with the US”.
‘Team Taiwan’
While the US has sold billions of dollars worth of arms to Taiwan, Washington has long maintained a “strategic ambiguity” when it comes to putting boots on the ground to defend the island from China.
Lai’s remarks followed China’s threats last week to “resolutely crush” any attempts for Tawain independence and ahead of US president-elect Donald Trump taking office in January.
Trump caused jitters during his campaign by suggesting Taiwan should pay the US for its defence and accusing the island of stealing the US semiconductor industry.
After Hawaii, Lai will visit Taiwan’s allies the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau – the only Pacific island nations among the 12 remaining allies 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 co-operation and deepen partnerships with our allies based on the values of democracy, peace and prosperity.”
“I once again emphasise that we are all Team Taiwan. We all work together, and we can successfully achieve our goals,” Lai told reporters on board the plane.