TAIPEI, Taiwan — President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan is set to embark on a diplomatic journey to the South Pacific, visiting the island nation’s allies amidst growing influence from rival China.

The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry revealed that Lai’s trip will take place from November 30 to December 6, during which he will visit the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau.

This visit comes at a time when China has been actively expanding its presence in the region through loans, grants, and security agreements with Pacific island nations, raising concerns among the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries about China’s increasing military, political, and economic influence.

Taiwan’s government has not yet confirmed whether President Lai will make a brief stop in Hawaii, a common practice for Taiwanese leaders. However, unverified reports from Taiwanese media suggest that the president may extend his stay there for over a day.

Taiwan currently faces significant diplomatic challenges from China, which views the self-governing island as part of its territory and has issued threats of forceful annexation. As a result, Taiwan has only 12 official diplomatic allies left. Nevertheless, it maintains robust unofficial relations with many countries, with the United States being its principal supporter in terms of diplomacy and military aid.

China has intensified its efforts to erode Taiwan’s traditional alliances in the Pacific. This was evidenced by a security pact it struck with the Solomon Islands shortly after they severed ties with Taiwan. Furthermore, China managed to secure diplomatic recognition from Nauru just weeks following Lai’s election in January. In recent months, Beijing has invested heavily in infrastructure initiatives within its South Pacific allies, seeking political backing in return.

China has expressed strong opposition to any U.S. visits by Taiwanese leaders and the presence of American officials in Taiwan. It views these actions as contraventions of U.S. commitments made in 1979 when the United States shifted official recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

In light of the diminishing number of its formal diplomatic partners due to Chinese pressures, Taiwan has stepped up its efforts to participate in international discussions and forums, even from the periphery. The island’s government has also resisted demands to diminish its diplomatic footprint, such as refusing South Africa’s request last month to relocate its representative office from the capital.