Taiwan president to make stopover in US during Pacific trip – reports

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen will make a stopover in the US on her way back from visiting three Pacific nations this month in a move sure to irk Beijing, AFP said on Wednesday, citing sources. Tsai will leave for Palau, Nauru and the Marshall Islands on Thursday in a trip to shore up ties amid growing concerns about China’s increasing clout in the region, according to the report. She is scheduled to transit through Hawaii on March 27 on her way back to Taipei, the sources said. Taiwan is typically low-key in announcing its leader’s specific itineraries, fearing China will use its power to disrupt. Tsai’s last state visit was to Paraguay and Belize in August with US transits. The trip prompted an official protest from Beijing after she gave a speech in Los Angeles - the first time in 15 years that a Taiwanese leader spoke publicly on American soil.