By Angie Teo, Ann Wang and David Brunnstrom (Reuters) -Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te began a U.S. stopover in Hawaii on Saturday as part of a Pacific tour after declaring his democratically governed island a key force for promoting global peace and stability.

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has arrived in Hawaii for a two-day transit in the U.S. as part of a trip to the South Pacific

Beijing especially bristles at official exchanges between Taiwan and the United States, which does not recognise Taipei diplomatically but is its most important backer and biggest supplier of arms