Taiwan vice president visits New York: Will China launch military drills now?

Taiwan's Vice President William Lai arrived in New York on Saturday for a transit stop amidst criticism by China. Before leaving for visit, Lai had said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that he is excited to ‘meet with US friends in transit’.

After arriving in New York on Saturday, Lai wrote on X, “Happy to arrive at the #BigApple, icon of liberty, democracy & opportunities. It’s very nice of @Bikhim & #AIT’s Ingrid Larson to greet me with a warm welcome at @JFKairport. Looking forward to seeing friends & attending transit programs in #NewYork.”

Lai is making transit stops in the US on his way to and from Paraguay to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Santiago Peña next week. The Taiwanese Vice President said he will use the visit to deepen ties with Paraguay and have ‘self confident’ exchanges with other countries while also meeting delegations from like-minded partners, reported Reuters.

He added that this would "let the international community understand that Taiwan is a country that adheres to democracy, freedom and human rights, and actively participates in international affairs,"

Lai had also made a transit trip to the US in January 2022 to Taiwan's former ally Honduras. The country later switched its diplomatic recognition to China in early 2023. 

Will China launch military drills now? 

Taiwanese officials told Reuters that China could use the transit visit as an excuse to launch military drills near Taiwan next week. It also wants to use the stopovers as a pretext for intimidating voters ahead of elections in January next year. 

Lai, who is the front-runner for next year's Presidential election is particularly disliked by China. In the past, he has described himself as a "practical worker for Taiwan independence." However, Lai has claimed during the election campaign that he does not want to change the status quo.

Biden administration wants to keep Lai's visit low-profile in order to avoid tensions before Taiwan's elections while preserving the recent momentum in US engagements with China, Reuters reported. 

(With inputs from Reuters)