China has called Taiwan’s vice president William Lai a “troublemaker” for his ongoing visit to the US.

Mr Lai, a frontrunner in Taiwan’s upcoming presidential election, visited the US on his way to Paraguay.

Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province, has increasingly voiced its disapproval of meetings between US and Taiwanese lawmakers.

China accused Washington of engaging Taiwan in political activities under the guise of a stopover.

Taiwan says Beijing will probably conduct military drills near the island this week. The last visit by a US lawmaker to the island – in August 2022 – saw China launch its largest ever military exercises in the seas around Taiwan. Then in April this year, Beijing again conducted military drills in response to a meeting between Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.

Mr Lai’s visit comes at a low point in US-China relations, with Taiwan emerging as the biggest flashpoint.

The 63-year-old vice president is officially transiting through the US on his way to Paraguay where he will attend the inauguration ceremony of its new president. The South American nation is one of only 13 countries to have formal ties with Taiwan.

The presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was in New York and San Francisco over the weekend, where he gave a speech pledging to protect Taiwan’s sovereignty in the face of “authoritarianism”.

Mr Lai added that only Taiwan’s people can decide their future, and that Taiwan and China are “not subordinate to each other”.

He also stressed that he was “very willing” to talk to China to seek peace and stability – common rhetoric in the run-up to the election, as candidates look to gather support without angering Beijing.

Mr Lai has previously called himself – to Beijing’s displeasure – a “pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence”.

Some analysts have warned that Mr Lai’s remarks may further escalate tensions between Washington and Taipei. They certainly angered China, which was quick to denounce Mr Lai’s remarks.

Though the US severed formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979, it has remained a close ally, selling billions of dollars worth of arms under the Taiwan Relations Act, which states that the US must provide the island with the means to defend itself.

Taiwan regards itself as distinct from mainland China, with its own laws and a democratically elected government. But Beijing, especially under Xi Jinping, has vowed to take the island, by force if necessary.