Taiwan says Lai has no overseas visit plan amid U.S. stopover attempt report

Taipei, Oct. 4 (CNA) Taiwan's Presidential Office on Saturday said President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) currently has no plans for an overseas trip, after a Japanese media outlet reported he had sent a top aide to the United States to prepare for a potential U.S. stopover during a future visit to Taiwan's diplomatic allies.

Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) told reporters that no overseas itinerary has been arranged for Lai, describing the news report as "incorrect."

Nikkei Asia had earlier cited an unnamed source as saying that Taiwan recently dispatched Vincent Chao (趙怡翔), the new deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council, to America to engage with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. His mission was to explore the possibility of rescheduling Lai's trip to Guatemala, Paraguay and Belize to include a U.S. stopover by the end of the year.

During his visit, Chao reportedly held a private meeting with think tank experts in Washington and met separately with figures close to the Trump administration.

Chao previously served as head of the political division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington -- Taiwan's defacto embassy in the U.S. -- during Trump's first term. According to the report, he aimed to "turn a new page in the relationship" during his trip.

Nikkei Asia added that Chao's visit was at a sensitive time. Trump has said he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea later this month, and also plans to visit China early next year.

Over the summer, the Trump administration reportedly discouraged Lai from transiting in New York on his way to Latin America, with Trump blocking the stopover following protests from Beijing. Lai subsequently postponed or canceled the trip, according to international media reports.

At the time, U.S. officials were apparently concerned that Lai's U.S. stopovers could derail trade talks with China. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, denied that Lai had postponed or canceled any overseas travel, saying no such trip had been planned.