Taiwanese President Lai reportedly has phone talks from Guam with US Congress leaders

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te reportedly held phone calls with U.S. congressional leaders on Thursday while visiting Guam, his second U.S. stop on a Pacific Island trip.

A presidential office spokesperson told journalists on the trip that Lai had spoken with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, according to both Taiwan’s official Central News Agency and NOWnews, a leading online news outlet in Taiwan. Lai also had a video call with U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the reports said.

China, which considers Taiwan a renegade province, opposes any official interaction between the island’s government and the United States. The U.S. is the main overseas supplier of arms for Taiwan’s defense, and has naval and air force bases on Guam.

Lai arrived in Guam on Wednesday night after stops in Hawaii, the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu. From Guam, he was heading to Palau, the final stop on his trip. He met with the governor of Guam and the legislature, where he emphasized the shared values and strategic importance of Taiwan and Guam in the Indo-Pacific region.

“Let us together become the crucial force in defending freedom, democracy in the first island chain,” he said, referring to a string of islands off the Asian continent that includes Japan, Taiwan and part of the Philippines.

His remarks drew a contrast with China’s authoritarian one-party government, which claims Taiwan as its territory and says the self-governing island must come under its control at some point in the future.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian noted the government’s previous statements on U.S. official interactions with Taiwan and said that “the Taiwan issue is at the core of China’s core interests and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations.”

“China will take strong measures to firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said, when asked about the reported call with Johnson, the House Speaker. Voice of America earlier reported the call with Johnson, citing unnamed sources, but not the other two calls.

Lai’s talks with both Republican and Democratic leaders seemed designed to underscore the bipartisan support for Taiwan in the U.S. Congress.

China’s Foreign Ministry also announced sanctions Thursday on 13 American companies and six executives in response to recently announced weapons sales to Taiwan. The executives include the president and vice president of Raytheon’s Naval Power strategic business unit. The sanctions include a ban on entering China, including Hong Kong and Macao.

“U.S. attempts to assist Taiwan independence by arming Taiwan will not shake our firm determination to oppose Taiwan independence and achieve national reunification, and it will only push Taiwan into a dangerous situation of military conflict,” Lin said.

A resolution from Guam’s legislature welcomed Lai and expressed appreciation for Taiwan’s “significant contributions to Guam’s economy and community,” Speaker Therese Terlaje said.

Lai called for deeper cooperation with Guam, highlighting aquaculture, hydroponic agriculture, construction projects and alternative energy as potential areas of partnership.

The three Pacific Island nations he visited — Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau — are among 12 governments that recognize Taiwan diplomatically. The rest of the world, including the United States, has official ties with the Chinese government in Beijing.