Finishing a diplomatic trip from South America, Taiwan’s Vice President Lai Ching-te arrived in the Bay Area for a brief stay before heading back home. But the quick stop was not without drama.
On Wednesday afternoon, as Lai landed at San Francisco International Airport, pro-China protesters had already gathered in the Hyatt Regency hotel in Burlingame, where Lai planned to greet local Taiwanese American community members.
Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te greets people at the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame on Wednesday. Source: Jeremy Chen/The Standard
At about 4:30 p.m., Lai arrived at the hotel to meet with supporters, as protesters chanted “get out” across the street. Lai did not speak with the media.
Lai is a major candidate for next year’s presidential election in Taiwan, and his visit to the U.S. has attracted opposition from China and attention from far beyond the Bay Area. As a leader of the Democratic Progressive Party, Lai’s pro-independence stance has angered Beijing–which sees Taiwan as a renegade province–as well as local pro-China groups.
Chu Wen Huang, the organizer of the protest and a former Chinatown leader, said that multiple pro-reunification groups from all over the West Coast have come together to protest Lai.
“We firmly oppose the independence of Taiwan,” Huang said. “And Lai Ching-te is a stubborn supporter of Taiwan’s independence.”
Pro-China protestors stand and chant across the street of the Hyatt Regency as they wait for Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te to arrive in Burlingame on Wednesday.
