Star Metro - Taiwan's Lai has call with US House Speaker Johnson

Taiwan calls itself a sovereign nation, but Beijing insists the democratic island is part of its territory and opposes any official exchanges with it.

The Presidential Office confirmed that a call between Lai and Johnson happened Wednesday without elaborating on the discussion, an AFP journalist travelling with Lai said.

Like most countries, the United States does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but Washington is Taipei's most important backer and biggest supplier of arms.

Lai's Pacific trip, and in particular his US stops, have drawn a barrage of criticism from Beijing, which rejects any international recognition of Taiwan.

During a two-day visit to the US state of Hawaii at the beginning of the trip, Lai discussed "China's military threats" towards Taiwan in a 20-minute call with former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi, and met with US government officials and members of Congress.

Lai's week-long tour is aimed at shoring up international support for Taiwan as China maintains military pressure on the island and seeks to isolate it by poaching its few remaining allies and blocking it from global forums.

Lai arrived in Guam on Wednesday following visits to Pacific island nations Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands, after the stop in Hawaii.

Speaking at a banquet in the capital Hagatna on Thursday, Lai hailed the "deep connections" and "rock solid partnership" between Taiwan and the United States.

"Together, we are good partners in defending democracy, freedom and prosperity for both sides," Lai told an audience that included Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero and Ingrid Larson from the Washington office of the de facto US embassy in Taiwan.

Lai also called on the world's democracies to "not bow down to authoritarian regimes" as he hailed Taiwan as "the beacon of democracy of Asia."

At the banquet, Larson said the United States would keep helping Taiwan "bolster its self-defense capabilities" and its "ability to protect itself against coercion".

Lai also addressed the Guam parliament -- a first for a Taiwanese president, his office said -- and will travel later Thursday to the Pacific island nation of Palau, the final stop of his trip.

Extending his "sincerest gratitude" to lawmakers for supporting Taiwan's access to the international arena, Lai said Taiwan and Guam were "like family".

- China threats -

Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands are among 12 nations that still recognise Taiwan diplomatically, including the Vatican, after China convinced others to dump Taipei in favour of Beijing.

Lai's Pacific tour has sparked fury in China, which on Tuesday vowed to defend its "national sovereignty" and "territorial integrity".

"The Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said when asked whether Beijing could launch another round of military drills around the self-ruled island in response to the trip.

Taiwan faces the constant threat of a military attack by China, which regularly deploys fighter jets and warships around the island to press its claims, and Beijing has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist forces were defeated by Mao Zedong's communist fighters and fled to the island.

In his first public speech of the trip on US soil, Lai said Saturday there was a need to "fight together to prevent war", warning there were "no winners" from conflict.

Lai will wrap up his trip on Friday.

A.Gagnon--SMC