By Angie Teo, Ann Wang and David Brunnstrom (Reuters) -Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te began a two-day U.S. stopover in Hawaii on Saturday as part of a Pacific tour after declaring his democratically governed island a key force for promoting global peace and stability.

Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te has been greeted in Hawaii by cheering supporters who put festive leis around his neck, as he begins a two-day transit in the U.S. as part of a trip to the South Pacifi

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.