Taiwan president will stop over in Hawaii and Guam during his upcoming trip to the South Pacific

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te will stop over in Hawaii and Guam on his trip to the South Pacific, in a move expected to draw objection from China. Lai is due to depart Taiwan on Saturday for a weeklong trip to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau — three diplomatic allies of the self-ruled island. Taiwan’s Central News Agency quoted an unnamed official in reporting the stopovers, and Lai’s office later confirmed to The Associated Press that the report was accurate. Under pressure from China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, the island has just 12 formal diplomatic allies. But it retains strong contacts with the U.S., its main source of diplomatic and military support.