Lai was welcomed by Hawaii governor Josh Green after arriving on Saturday on a stopover as part of a state visit to Taiwan’s Pacific island allies.

Lai visited a World War II memorial and an emergency management office. He said in a speech at a banquet that his trip served to “symbolise the long-standing friendship between Taiwan and the US, and lays foundations for further collaboration”.

China’s foreign ministry severely condemned the US in a statement on Sunday for allowing Lai to transit in Hawaii. Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory, a claim Lai’s government rejects, and vociferously opposes all official contact with the island that implies statehood.

Lai’s trip comes at a sensitive time, as Joe Biden prepares to leave the White House after repeatedly vowing to defend Taiwan from any Chinese invasion, muddying the long-standing US position of strategic ambiguity.

President-elect Donald Trump’s return to power casts doubts over such reassurances, adding fresh turbulence to a major flashpoint between the world’s largest economies as the threat of a new trade war looms.

Lai is making his first trip abroad as president. On Monday, he’ll head to the Marshall Islands, and later travel to Tuvalu and Palau — visits aimed at shoring up ties with some of Taiwan’s few remaining allies. Later in the week, he’ll pass through the US territory of Guam, where the US has a major air base.

China could respond to Lai’s stops in Hawaii and Guam with more military drills around Taiwan. The People’s Liberation Army has already held two such sets of exercises since Lai took office in May.

Taiwan’s government department for handling affairs with China condemned Beijing in a statement, saying it damaged peace in the region.