When Ma Ying-jeou embarks on his first overseas trip as Taiwan’s president on Tuesday, he will have an easier ride than his predecessor.

The US, the island’s most important unofficial ally, has granted Mr Ma stopovers in Los Angeles, Houston and San Francisco on his way to and from Latin America. That sharply contrasts with Chen Shui-bian, who at the end of his final term was allowed only short refuelling stops in Alaska and Hawaii.