Our daily trip around the world

🇹🇼 Taiwanese Vice President William Lai visited the US over the weekend, drawing criticism from China. VP Lai, the front-runner to be Taiwan's next president after upcoming elections in January, traveled to New York City late Saturday for what was officially billed as a 24-hour transit stopover on his way to Paraguay. The visit sparked backlash from China, which claims democratically self-governed Taiwan as its own territory (Background). Beijing has repeatedly denounced Lai's ongoing trip, which includes a stopover in San Francisco on Wednesday as he travels back to Taiwan.

⚽🏆 The Women’s World Cup is down to its final four teams: Spain, Sweden, England, and Australia. The first semifinal, featuring Spain vs. Sweden, is scheduled for early tomorrow morning. Both teams have won all five of their World Cup games so far, including Sweden’s 5-4 shootout win against Team USA. The second match features England against Australia, with the Aussie women making their first-ever semifinal appearance (​​this match is scheduled for early Wednesday morning).

🌍🎤 Taylor Swift is about to start the international leg of her Eras Tour. After performing 53 US shows over the past five months, Swift is in the midst of a two-week break before heading to perform 78 shows in 26 cities around the world over the next year (she’ll then return to the US/Canada for her final 15 shows). The initial US portion of the Eras Tour generated over $600 million in ticket sales, per Fortune, which by itself would represent the fifth highest-grossing tour in history. Swift is currently projected to earn between $1 billion and $1.5 billion in ticket sales over the entire tour; both figures would represent a new all-time record.