Lai's planned overseas delegation reflects Pacific strategy: Expert

Taipei, Nov. 24 (CNA) The choice of individuals accompanying President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on his upcoming first official overseas visit since taking office gives a glimpse into his wider Pacific strategy, the head of a Taiwanese think tank said Sunday.

Members of Lai's delegation will include Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP) head Ljaucu Zingrur (曾智勇), Ocean Affairs Council head Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀), and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), according to the Presidential Office.

Lai I-chung (賴怡忠), president of the political think tank Prospect Foundation, said that this suggested a specific focus on cultural, maritime, medical and diplomatic matters.

Lai Ching-te will visit Taiwan's three diplomatic allies in the Pacific -- the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau -- on a trip from Nov. 30 to Dec. 6, the Presidential Office said in a press release on Friday.

Lai I-chung said Austronesian culture in Pacific countries was similar to Taiwanese Indigenous culture, and that the CIP head's presence suggested that working to achieve cultural co-prosperity would be a focus of the trip.

He added that Kuan's participation suggested that effectively managing maritime affairs was also a policy focus.

Furthermore, the deputy health minister's inclusion in the delegation highlights Taiwan's commitment to strengthening cooperation with its diplomatic allies, particularly in areas such as health promotion, public health, smart healthcare and social services, Lai I-chung said.

The foreign minister's participation in the visit underscores the president's focus on making diplomacy and security the top priorities of his Pacific strategy, he added.

Lai I-chung pointed out that the diplomatic allies in the Pacific are a key link between the United States and the first island chain in the Western Pacific. Maintaining solid communication with those allies is key to continuing strong Taiwan-U.S. relations, he said.

Addressing criticism that the president's trip to Pacific Island nations does not include a stop in U.S. territory -- interpreted by some as a sign of mistrust from the United States -- Lai I-chung noted that, based on precedent, no Taiwanese president has specifically flown to Los Angeles or San Francisco and then backtracked to the Pacific when visiting Pacific allies.

"There is no need to transit the United States just for the sake of deliberately transiting the U.S.," Lai I-chung said.

Lai I-chung questioned the idea that the U.S. didn't trust Taiwan, saying that President Joe Biden's administration recently approved a significant arms sale to Taiwan. With Biden nearing the end of his term, there was no obligation to proceed with the deal, yet the administration chose to move forward.

Last month, the U.S. government approved the potential sale of radar turnkey systems and surface-to-air missile systems to Taiwan, worth an estimated US$1.988 billion.