News
President planning overseas visit to diplomatic allies
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung says plans are being made for President Lai Ching-te to visit diplomatic allies, with a possible stopover in the United States.
Lin says the visit will be carried out in accordance with precedent where a stopover in the US is part of the plan. However, he admitted that as it is an election year in America, an evaluation is still underway as to how the president can make foreign visits “but at the same time not trigger unnecessary reactions.”
Lin didn't say when the trip might occur, neither did he name the diplomatic allies that Lai planned to visit but the foreign minister did say an itinerary will be announced by the Presidential Office in due course.
In other diplomatic news, the newly appointed director of the American Institute in Taiwan's Taipei (AIT) office says Washington will continue to offer its strong support for Taiwan as it works to boost its self-defence capabilities.
After his first meeting with President Lai Ching-te, Raymond Greene said such support is in line with the US's long standing policy guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Communiques and the Six Assurances.
Greene stressed the need to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, describing it as a common and long-term interest for both Washington and Taipei and as extremely important for global security and prosperity. The new director also said he was "confident that with the support of the global democratic community, we can safeguard Taiwan's democracy."
Lai thanked Greene for the US's commitment to supporting Taiwan's efforts to strengthen its security and reiterated his pledge to maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait despite increasing challenges posed by China.
