Honolulu (AFP) - Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said in the United States on Saturday that we have to “fight together to prevent war”, as he kicked off a week-long tour of the Pacific that has sparked fiery rhetoric from Beijing.

Taiwan faces the constant threat of a military attack by China, which it considers part of its territory and regularly deploys fighter jets and warships around the self-ruled island to press its claims.

Washington is Taipei’s most important partner and biggest provider of weapons, but maintains a “strategic ambiguity” when it comes to putting boots on the ground to defend the island from China.

Speaking at a dinner in the US island state of Hawaii on Saturday, Lai said there were “no winners” from conflict and “we have to fight, fight together to prevent war.”

Lai earlier received a standing ovation as he walked down a red carpet for the gathering with US government officials, state politicians, members of Congress, and Taiwanese expatriates.

He said the US flag and Hawaii state flag given to him as a gift “symbolise the longstanding friendship between Taiwan and the United States and lays the foundation for further cooperation in the future.”

The chairperson of the American Institute in Taiwan, the body that serves as the de facto US embassy, said the partnership between Washington and Taipei was “rock solid”.

“The opportunity for you to engage with thought leaders, the diaspora’s community and state and local leaders is invaluable, and I know will contribute to further strengthening the rock solid US-Taiwan partnership,” Laura Rosenberger said in a pre-recorded video played at the dinner.

Like most countries, Washington does not recognize Taiwan diplomatically but maintains close unofficial ties.

Beijing opposes any international recognition of Taiwan and its claim to be a sovereign state and especially bristles at official contact between the island and the United States.

In a statement, China’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns” the United States for Lai’s stopover and that it had “lodged serious protests with the US”.

“China will closely follow the developments and take resolute and strong measures to defend our nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said.

Lai, who is travelling abroad for the first time since taking office in May, was welcomed with red carpets, flower garlands and “alohas” as he began the two-day stopover in Hawaii.

Looking relaxed in a Hawaiian shirt, Lai flitted around, visiting a Pacific island history museum, an emergency management centre and the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbour.

On his arrival, he was given the “red carpet treatment” on the tarmac of Honolulu’s international airport, according to his office, which said it was the first time a Taiwanese president had been given such a welcome.

He was met by Ingrid Larson, managing director in Washington of the AIT, Hawaii Governor Josh Green, and others.

Taiwanese government officials have previously stopped over on US soil during visits to the Pacific or Latin America, angering China, which has sometimes responded with military drills around the island.

- ‘We are all Team Taiwan’ -

After Hawaii, Lai will visit Taiwan’s allies the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau – the only Pacific island nations among the 12 countries that recognize Taiwan’s claim to statehood – and stop over for one night in the US territory of Guam.

Lai said shortly before take-off in Taipei that the trip “ushered in a new era of values-based democracy” and thanked the US government for “helping to make this trip a smooth one”.

He said he wanted to “continue to expand cooperation and deepen partnerships with our allies based on the values of democracy, peace and prosperity.”

“I once again emphasize that we are all Team Taiwan. We all work together, and we can successfully achieve our goals,” Lai told reporters on board the plane.

An AFP journalist is travelling with the president for the duration of the trip.

In a swift response to news of Lai’s trip on Thursday, Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China’s defense ministry said: “We firmly oppose official interaction with China’s Taiwan region in any form” and vowed to “resolutely crush” any attempts for Taiwan independence.

Lai’s trip follows the US approval on Friday of a proposed sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16s and radar systems, as well as communications equipment, in deals valued at $385 million in total.

The Taiwan president’s trip comes as Republican US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office in January.

During his campaign, Trump caused jitters by suggesting Taiwan should pay the United States for its defense.