We all know U.S. President Donald Trump likes winners ¡ª the problem for Taiwan¡¯s leader Lai Ching-te is that he looks like a man running out of options. It¡¯s an unenviable position to be in, with the threat of punishing tariffs hanging over him.
Domestically, Lai is dealing with the fallout from a bruising vote that will embolden the self-ruled island¡¯s pro-Beijing opposition. Globally, he¡¯s navigating a trade war, with no assurance of success. This puts his government in its weakest position since he took office last year.
Lai¡¯s latest embarrassment comes in the form of a foiled overseas trip. Initially, he had reportedly planned to stop over in the U.S. as part of a visit to three of Taipei¡¯s dwindling number of diplomatic allies: Paraguay, Guatemala and Belize. But that¡¯s now off the table after the Trump administration apparently failed to give the go-ahead, fearing it could complicate trade discussions with Beijing. (On Tuesday, the superpowers agreed to extend their discussions, although White House officials have said Trump will make the final call.)
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