President William Lai (賴清德) on Sunday started his first overseas trip since taking office in May with a stopover in Hawaii on his way to visit the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau. The president set off on a mission not only to shore up relations with the nation’s three Pacific allies, but also to highlight that Taiwan can be a “force for peace” and is willing to work with like-minded democratic nations against Chinese expansionism in the Asia-Pacific region.
Despite China ramping up efforts to gain influence across the Pacific and entice small nation-states to shift diplomatic allegiances in recent years, the three South Pacific nations recently held major parliamentary elections and retained pro-Taiwan governments. These allies have consistently backed Taiwan in international events, such as the UN and the Pacific Islands Forum, and are expected to continue voicing their support for the nation.