Taiwan's top China policymaker on Wednesday said Chinese military threats would only drive the two sides further apart, as state media in the island's giant neighbour warned of a strong response to a U.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s brief stop in Hawaii may have appeared understated – no formal US reception, no grand speeches – but its implications extend far beyond floral wreaths and banquets.

China warned the Biden administration to tread cautiously on the issue of Taiwan after President Lai Ching-te landed in Hawaii on his first stopover on US soil.