Taiwan VP has no plans to change island's formal name

Taiwanese Vice President William Lai has arrived in Paraguay after a stopover in the US to attend the inauguration of new Paraguayan President Santiago Pena on Tuesday. 

Paraguay is one of the only 13 countries that maintain official diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Lai, a member of the center-left Democratic Progressive Party, is a frontrunner ahead of Taiwan's presidential vote next year.

His trip to Paraguay after a stopover in the US has sparked fears it could spur more Chinese military drills near Taiwan.

Beijing, which claims the self-ruled territory as its own, has repeatedly staged military exercises in the waters off the island to press its claim of sovereignty.

After arriving in Paraguay on Monday, Lai met the South American country's outgoing President Mario Abdo Benítez and thanked him for his support for Taiwan.

Lai also held talks with Pena about how to improve ties and promote collaboration between the two sides.

Paraguay's Pena sworn in as president

Meanwhile, Santiago Pena was sworn in on Tuesday as Paraguay's new president with Lai in attendance.

Also in attendance were other South American leaders and Spain's King Felipe.

"We will build alliances and cooperation with a geostrategic vision," Pena said in his inaugural speech.

He said that Paraguay's relationship with Taiwan "is an example of this and of Paraguay's friendly and cooperative spirit with nations."

Despite pressure from farmers to open up to Chinese markets, Pena has pledged to maintain diplomatic ties with Taipei.

Beijing considers Taiwan to be part of its own territory.

How did Beijing react to Lai's tip?

Beijing has sharply criticized Lai's Paraguay trip and US stopover.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has called on Washington to "abide by the One-China principle... and to stop official exchanges between the US and Taiwan." 

As part of its One China policy, the US acknowledges the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China. At the same time, the US informally helps Taiwan and provides aid to the island as aligned with the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.

Taiwan, meanwhile, has defended the visit and said Taiwanese vice presidents have journeyed to the US several times before.

Taiwanese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jeff Liu said Lai's stopover is "nothing special."

But if Beijing insists to escalate provocation because of such stopovers, then "it's China, not Taiwan or the United States, that undermines regional peace and stability," he told a news conference.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during a stopover in the US in April, drawing similar ire from Beijing. The Chinese military then held large-scale war games around Taiwan.

In recent years, Beijing has also launched almost daily military incursions into the island's air defense zone, seeking to pressure Taipei to accept Chinese sovereignty.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry, however, said on Tuesday it has not seen large-scale exercises or any other action by the Chinese military near the island.

What did Lai say about Taiwan's name?

Lai is currently being seen as the leading candidate to succeed Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen next January, when she steps down after serving two terms in office.

Speaking to Bloomberg news agency on Tuesday, Lai said he has no plans to change the island's formal name, but stressed that Taiwan is "not subordinate” to China.

"We must abide by the truth — which is what I mean by pragmatism — which is Taiwan is already a sovereign, independent country called the Republic of China. It is not part of the People's Republic of China," he said.

"The ROC and PRC are not subordinate to one another. It is not necessary to declare independence. The ROC (Taiwan) is not subordinate to the PRC."

In 1949, the defeated Republic of China government — led by Chiang Kai-shek — fled to Taiwan after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists, who established the People's Republic of China. 

sri/rt (Reuters, dpa, AFP)