KOROR, Palau: Taiwan’s new coast guard patrol ship took half in a joint rescue drill in Palau on Friday (Dec 6), as visiting President Lai Ching-te fortifies ties within the Pacific the place China has been poaching its allies.
Palau is amongst 12 nations that also recognise Taiwan’s declare to statehood, after China satisfied others to sever diplomatic relations with Taipei in favour of Beijing.
Lai’s Pacific tour, which has included two stops on US soil, has drawn a barrage of criticism from China, which claims Taiwan as a part of its territory and opposes any worldwide recognition of the island.
Lai arrived in Palau on Thursday after visiting the American territory Guam the place he spoke with Republican US Home Speaker Johnson – the highest-level US contact the Taiwanese chief has had throughout his week-long journey.
China bristles at any official contact between Taipei and Washington, which is Taiwan’s most essential backer and larger arms provider.
Beijing on Thursday urged the USA to “cease sending unsuitable alerts” following the Lai-Johnson name, warning of the “severe hazard that separatist acts of Taiwan independence pose to peace and safety throughout the Taiwan Strait”.
China regularly deploys fighter jets and warships around Taiwan to press its claims and has not dominated out utilizing pressure to carry the island beneath its management.
On Friday, Lai and his Palau counterpart Surangel Whipps Jr watched a joint rescue train involving the 4,000-tonne Yulin, Taiwan’s largest coast guard patrol ship in service, and two vessels donated by Taiwan to Palau.
As a part of the drill, a number of individuals have been plucked from the water and introduced for remedy to the Yulin, which is supplied with an working room, X-ray machine and different medical tools.
Earlier, Lai attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a brand new “one-stop” authorities providers constructing in Palau that Taiwan helped fund.
Lai hailed the constructing venture “a mannequin of profitable bilateral cooperation” and stated the Taiwan-Palau alliance was “rock strong”.
China and Taiwan have been ruled individually since 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalist forces have been defeated by Mao Zedong’s communist fighters and fled to the island.
In his first public speech of the journey within the US state of Hawaii, Lai stated Saturday there was a have to “combat collectively to stop warfare”, warning there were “no winners” from conflict.
From Palau, Lai will fly to Taipei on Friday, wrapping up a visit that additionally included visits to Taiwan’s different Pacific island allies the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu.
