President Lai Calls for Unity on Guam Stopover on Pacific Trip

TaiwanPlus News

On a layover in the U.S. territory of Guam on his tour of Taiwan's Pacific allies, President Lai Ching-te called on like-minded democratic nations to stand together in the face of authoritarianism.

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00:00This is Guam's governor's house, and on his quick visit to this U.S. territory, Taiwan's

00:06President Lai Ching-de is meeting with the governor and members of the island's congress.

00:10It's his fourth stop on his whistle-stop tour of the Pacific, shoring up ties in this

00:15all-important strategic region.

00:23Officials from Guam and Taiwan said they could increase cooperation in areas like the economy,

00:27health and tourism, touting the resumption of direct flights between the two islands.

00:32Lai also reportedly had a phone call with the U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson while

00:36in Guam, the first direct conversation between them since Lai took office.

00:41This is the second time Lai has visited U.S. soil on this tour.

00:44He first made a trip to Hawaii, and these so-called U.S. stopovers are the most sensitive

00:49parts of his trip.

00:51China claims Taiwan as its own and objects to any recognition of it as a nation.

00:55Beijing is widely expected to retaliate to military drills when Lai wraps up his trip.

01:16And here in Guam, home to a big U.S. military base, the Speaker of the Congress says she

01:21received pressure from Chinese diplomats here in the U.S. not to engage with Taiwan.

01:26Lai's message here in Guam is one that he has repeated over and over on his Pacific

01:31tour.

01:32That Taiwan has every right to go out into the world and to forge connections, and that

01:37in doing so, he will benefit not only Taiwan, but also the region.

01:41John Su and Rick Lauert, in Guam, United States, for Taiwan Plus.

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