Lai Ching-Te was met by Hawaii's Governor Josh Green, Mayor Rick Blangiardi, and Police Chief Joe Logan at Honolulu Airport.
"Together, we gave Lai and his delegation a warm aloha, and highlighted Hawaii's shared values of resilience and cooperation with Taiwan," says Green in an Instagram post.
Lai looked relaxed as he visited various museums and memorials on Hawaii during the first half of his two-day visit.
Peace is invaluable, and war has no winners. We must fight – fight together – to prevent war, said Lai at one of the stops.
The Hawaii visit has irritated China, which is trying to assert that Taiwan is part of the mainland nation. China's Foreign Ministry says it strongly condemns the US's support for the visit, and is following the situation.
The US, like most other countries, does not recognize Taiwan, but is an important partner that supplies Taiwan with weapons.
After Hawaii, Lai Ching-Te will continue to the Pacific nations of Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau – three of Taiwan's twelve diplomatic allies.
