Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived Saturday in the United States for the start of a week-long tour in the Pacific that he said would usher in a new era of democracy, but has sparked fury in Beijing.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te will leave Saturday on a week-long tour of the Pacific that includes a stopover in Hawaii, which has ignited fiery threats from Beijing.

Taiwan's president arrived Saturday in Hawaii to begin a two-day transit in the U.S. as part of a trip to the South Pacific, his first since assuming office. The stopover in Hawaii and one planned for the territory of Guam have drawn fierce criticism from Beijing,