By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen is planning to visit Canada next week, two diplomatic sources told Reuters, in a highly watched visit for a senior Taiwan politician who has a become a symbol of the island’s defiance against China’s military threat.
Canada, like most countries, has no official diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, but the economic and political exchanges between the two sides have increased as Beijing ratchets up military threats against the democratic island.
Tsai, who stepped down in May, is planning to visit Nova Scotia and deliver a speech at a Halifax International Security Forum conference which begins on Nov. 22, two diplomatic sources told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.
Tsai’s office said in response to questions that if details of travel plans for her are confirmed they will announce it at an appropriate time. It did not elaborate.
Neither the Halifax Forum nor Canada’s Global Affairs department responded to requests for comment sent outside of Canadian office hours.
China’s foreign ministry also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Canada has a difficult relationship with China, including accusations from Canada about Chinese hacking attacks which Beijing denies, and disputes over human rights and trade.
Tsai’s travel plan to Canada and the forum was first reported by Taiwan media.
Tsai last month visited Czech, France and Belgium in a sensitive trip due to concerns of Chinese espionage and harassment. Current Taiwan President Lai Ching-te fully supported her European visit, calling her the “best spokesperson” for the democratic island on the international stage.
Under Tsai’s watch, Taiwan’s government greatly boosted military investment and deepened unofficial relations with major countries including the United States and Japan, to China’s ire.
Tsai remains a senior and influential member of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party as a senior spokesperson, and her overseas visits are closely watched by diplomats in the region.
China staged two rounds of war games around Taiwan during Tsai’s second term in office – in 2022 after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, and in 2023 after Tsai returned from a visit to the United States where she met Pelosi’s successor Kevin McCarthy.
(Reporting By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)