No one can 'obliterate' Taiwan's existence, president says on departure for U.S.

FILE PHOTO: Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen attends a news conference to announce the new Presidential Office secretary-general in Taipei, Taiwan April 11, 2018. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Vowing that "no one can obliterate Taiwan's existence", President Tsai Ing-wen left on Sunday for the United States and two of its remaining diplomatic allies, amid pressure from China to try to stamp out references to the island internationally. 

China, which claims self-ruled and democratic Taiwan as its own, has stepped up a campaign against the island as it tries to assert Chinese sovereignty. Beijing has ordered foreign companies to label Taiwan as part of China on their websites and is excluding Taiwan from as many international forums as it can.