TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) administration on Monday denied having overseas travel plans, but Western media reported that the trip was canceled after US President Donald Trump blocked his proposed transit through New York.

Paraguayan President Santiago Pena had said on July 14 that Lai was planning to visit Asuncion in August, with possible stopovers in Guatemala, Belize, and the US. However, Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said Monday that due to typhoon recovery efforts and tariff negotiations with the US, Lai currently has no overseas travel plans, per CNA.

Reuters and the Financial Times reported that Trump’s administration rejected Lai’s planned transit through New York, forcing Taiwan to cancel the Latin America trip. The Financial Times said the decision came after protests from China.

Citing three sources, the Financial Times reported Lai canceled the trip after learning he would not be allowed to transit through New York. He had also reportedly planned to stop in Dallas, but it was unclear whether only the New York leg was denied or if all US transits were blocked.

Both reports said Trump’s decision was primarily driven by ongoing US-China trade negotiations. The Financial Times also reported that as part of those talks, the Trump administration had temporarily suspended certain US Commerce Department export controls targeting China.

The trade talks are taking place in Stockholm. On Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held over five hours of talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), with more expected on Tuesday.

The Financial Times also cited Randall G. Schriver, chair of the Project 2049 Institute, who said the move echoed past US hesitancy to engage with Taiwan out of concern over provoking Beijing.

If it was done to appease Beijing, it was a mistake, said Schriver. “This is the old playbook — the ‘tyranny of the calendar’ — where there’s never a good time to do something on Taiwan. You box yourself in.”