If Taiwan is safe, the whole world is safe. If there is peace in the Taiwan Strait, there is peace in the world
– said William Lage at a luncheon in New York organized by Taiwanese supporters living in the United States, and the Presidential Office in Taipei conveyed their words.
Lage stressed that Taiwan is “on the right track” and that the island should not be held back by the threats posed by authoritarian regimes, but should strengthen itself in the spirit of democracy.
Ingrid Larson, president of the American Taiwan Institute, which maintains informal relations with the island and is run by the US government, also attended the event.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has already protested Lage’s visit to the United States, which is in fact a detour from the vice president’s trip to Paraguay.
Lage is trying to go to the Latin American country, where he is going to take part in the inauguration of President-elect Santiago Pena. On the way back, San Francisco is also planned.
China’s foreign ministry called the Taiwanese vice president a troublemaker, accusing him of insisting on independence for Taiwan, which China considers its own but has had an independent government since 1949. “It has been proven time and time again that the rising tension in the Taiwan Strait is because Taiwan is trying to gain independence,” they wrote in their statement. relying on the United States.
Taiwan is recognized by only a few countries. Paraguay is the last South American country to have official relations with Taiwan.
Cover image source: Getty Images
