On a layover in the U.S. territory of Guam on his tour of Taiwan's Pacific allies, President Lai Ching-te called on like-minded democratic nations to stand together in the face of authoritarianism.
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00:00This is Guam's governor's house, and on his quick visit to this U.S. territory, Taiwan's
00:06President Lai Ching-de is meeting with the governor and members of the island's congress.
00:10It's his fourth stop on his whistle-stop tour of the Pacific, shoring up ties in this
00:15all-important strategic region.
00:23Officials from Guam and Taiwan said they could increase cooperation in areas like the economy,
00:27health and tourism, touting the resumption of direct flights between the two islands.
00:32Lai also reportedly had a phone call with the U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson while
00:36in Guam, the first direct conversation between them since Lai took office.
00:41This is the second time Lai has visited U.S. soil on this tour.
00:44He first made a trip to Hawaii, and these so-called U.S. stopovers are the most sensitive
00:49parts of his trip.
00:51China claims Taiwan as its own and objects to any recognition of it as a nation.
00:55Beijing is widely expected to retaliate to military drills when Lai wraps up his trip.
01:16And here in Guam, home to a big U.S. military base, the Speaker of the Congress says she
01:21received pressure from Chinese diplomats here in the U.S. not to engage with Taiwan.
01:26Lai's message here in Guam is one that he has repeated over and over on his Pacific
01:31tour.
01:32That Taiwan has every right to go out into the world and to forge connections, and that
01:37in doing so, he will benefit not only Taiwan, but also the region.
01:41John Su and Rick Lauert, in Guam, United States, for Taiwan Plus.