Tsai Ing-wen Kicks Off Caribbean Visit

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen left the island on Thursday for a four-country state visit to the Caribbean, with stops in the United States on the way there and back.

Her delegation is going to Haiti, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia on a 12-day trip. The island nations are among the few that recognise Taiwan instead of Beijing.

Tsai said she wants to share the values of democracy and perseverance with Taiwan's friends.

"Our democracy has not come easily and now is facing the threat and technological penetration of foreign forces," she said.

In the Caribbean, the delegation will promote sustainable development and look for business opportunities for Taiwanese companies, Tsai said.

She will also make what her government is calling "two-evening transit stops" in the United States.

Taiwan does not have diplomatic ties with the United States, but the US provides the island with military and other support.

Beijing objects to such support as an interference in what it considers its internal affairs.

The Foreign Ministry in Beijing earlier complained to Washington about Tsai's US stopovers, saying that could hurt Sino-American ties. (AP)