[Source: Reuters]

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-the has arrived in the US state of Hawaii for a two-day visit, drawing a furious reaction from China.

The trip is being billed as a stopover as part of a Pacific tour but comes amid long-running tensions between the US and China and growing concerns about the possibility of conflict over Taiwan.

After arriving in Hawaii, Lai said the war would have “no winners” and that “we have to fight together to prevent war”.

China’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns” the visit and that it had “lodged serious protests with the US”.

China considers Taiwan – which broke away in 1949 following the Chinese Civil War – to be part of its territory and opposes any diplomatic engagement with it by other countries.

The US has long maintained a deliberately ambiguous policy towards the island, declining to recognize its independence but maintaining informal relations with its government.

Speaking before he departed for Hawaii, Lai said the trip marked “the beginning of a new era of value-based diplomacy”.

He said he wanted to show the world that Taiwan is “not only a model of democracy, but also a key force in promoting global peace, stability, and prosperity”.

Speaking at a dinner on Saturday attended by state officials, members of Congress, and Taiwanese residents of Hawaii, he added that a visit that day to Pearl Harbour – whose bombing by Japan in 1941 brought the US into the Second World War – had served as a reminder of “the importance of ensuring peace”.

The rest of the trip will see Lai visit the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau, the only Pacific island nations among the 12 countries that recognize Taiwan’s independence. He will also stop for one night in the US territory of Guam.

In a statement ahead of the trip, a spokesperson for the Chinese defense ministry said China would “firmly oppose official interaction with China’s Taiwan region in any form” and “resolutely crush” attempts to secure Taiwanese independence.