President Donald Trump blocked the Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te from stopping over in the United States, according to a report by the Financial Times.
Ching-te is on an international trip where he will visit Paraguay, Guatemala, and Belize. The president planned to stop in New York in August, but Trump rejected the idea after China raised concerns about the trip, the outlet reported.
“If this is a result of the administration trying to curry favour with Beijing, it is a mistake,” Randy Shriver, a former senior US official who serves as chair of the board of the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security, told FT.
News of Trump's move sent shockwaves across social media, with lawmakers and analysts chiming in to share their thoughts.
"Donald Trump’s decision to deny permission for President Lai to visit New York sends a dangerous signal: that the United States can be bullied by Beijing into silence on Taiwan," Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wrote on X.
"This is a victory for Xi — and let us hope it is not indicative of a dangerous change in U.S. policy," Pelosi continued.
"Denying President Lai a transit is a deeply concerning break with bipartisan precedent and sends a reckless signal to Beijing that our partnership with Taiwan is on the negotiating table. American leadership is now seen as deeply unreliable, with Trump’s fits and starts with Ukraine, NATO allies, and other key partners," Se. Andy Kim (D-NJ) posted on X.
"What a disgrace!" Republicans Against Trump posted on X.
"Big win for China today," National security professor Derek Grossman posted on X. "Trump admin blocks Taiwanese President Lai's New York transit, likely to avoid jeopardizing ongoing US-China trade talks. But here's the problem: now Beijing will expect the US to cancel future transit proposals. Ugh."