Lai had intended to stop in New York on Aug 4 as part of a trip to diplomatic allies Paraguay, Guatemala and Belize. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The Taiwanese president had intended to stop in New York and then Dallas as part of a trip to diplomatic allies in Central and South America.

A planned trip by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te to Latin America next month, including possible stopovers in the United States, has reportedly been shelved.

Taiwan’s trade negotiators have arrived in the US for talks aimed at clinching a trade deal with President Donald Trump’s team and averting a threatened 32% tariff.

The Taiwan talks come as trade negotiations in the region accelerate. On Wednesday, the United States and Japan announced a trade agreement that includes a 15% U.S. import tariff on all Japanese goods, lower than the 25% Washington had proposed previously.

Taiwan’s top trade negotiators touched down in Washington, DC, this week for their fourth round of talks with the Trump administration.

Taiwan said more trade talks with the US will be held this week, while also hitting back at domestic speculation that the self-run democracy had already received a tariff letter from the US.