Taiwan President Tsai reviews troops before embarking on much-anticipated US visit

Ahead to her official visit to the US and Central America the following week, Taiwan President, Tsai Ing-wen, visited the army engineers on Saturday and evaluated their training. On Wednesday, Tsai will set out on her well-publicized tour to the Americas. In Los Angeles, she is anticipated to see Kevin McCarthy, speaker of the US House.  China has expressed disapproval of her future travels, denouncing Washington for granting Tsai entry. Her trip to the US is really transitory, though.

Beijing has increased its military activity around the island over the past year, including bringing a record number of aircraft into its airspace. When Nancy Pelosi, a former speaker of the US House, visited China last year, Beijing fiercely retaliated by holding military drills all around the island country, reigniting tensions. The president of Taiwan observed soldiers building anti-tank barriers and engaging in martial arts training as he was visiting an army base in Chiayi, in southern Taiwan, reviewing their training.

“Protecting Taiwan and defending democracy has always been our military’s great mission,” says Tsai

“Protecting Taiwan and defending democracy has always been our military’s great mission,” Tsai told the soldiers, accompanied by Taiwan’s defence minister Chiu Kuo-cheng and national security council secretary-general, Wellington Koo, reported Independent. 

“I believe that only by continuously training and strengthening the military’s war preparedness can we be even more able to protect our home and defend our country,” she added.

Her trip comes just after Honduras, one of only 14 nations to do so formally, said it will establish diplomatic ties with Beijing. The de facto US embassy in Taiwan cautioned Honduras on Saturday that Beijing frequently makes empty promises in exchange for recognition. This week, the foreign minister of Honduras visited China to establish ties. Although Honduras' potential decision to sever ties with Taipei in favour of Beijing was a sovereign choice, the American Institute in Taiwan noted that China does not usually keep its commitments.

“It is important to note the PRC [People’s Republic of China] often makes promises in exchange for diplomatic recognition that ultimately remain unfulfilled,” a spokesperson said, reported by Independent. “Regardless of Honduras’ decision, the United States will continue to deepen and expand our engagement with Taiwan in line with our longstanding One China policy,” the spokesperson added.