Taiwanese President William Lai’s stopovers in Hawaii and Guam during his first overseas trip to Taiwan’s Pacific diplomatic allies reflect efforts by Taiwan and the US to challenge China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI),

Taiwan’s president set off on a mission on Saturday to shore up relations with some of his island democracy’s shrinking band of diplomatic allies: three tiny Pacific Island nations that have taken an outsize importance in Taiwan’s struggle against Chinese efforts to push it off the international stage.

Taiwan’s president departed for his trip to the South Pacific that will include a two-day transit in the U.S., his first since assuming office, though few details about his itinerary are public