Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
"The ministry is indeed making arrangements for the premier's trip," Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Tze-dan (
According to a news report yesterday, Chang plans to visit Saint Christopher, Saint Vincent, the Commonwealth of Dominica and Grenada from Sept. 1 to Sept. 9. The Cabinet is expected to make an official announcement of the trip today.
Mysteriously, government spokesman Su Tzen-ping (
Chang had previously said that he would focus on domestic affairs and would not plan any foreign trips during his tenure.
Yesterday's report, however, said that President Chen Shui-bian (
During his trip, Chang will be accompanied by Taiwanese industrialists who will inspect the tourism and investment environment in the four countries, the report added.
The report also said that the foreign ministry secretly started arranging Chang's trip late last month, adding that the trip was at one stage canceled due to the destruction brought by Typhoon Toraji.
Nevertheless, Wu added yesterday that Chang had been invited to make the trip by the friendly nations and that the visit would aim to enhance Taiwan's relations with those countries.
Since Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Hung-mao (
In response, Wu said, "The two trips are for different purposes and, therefore, will neither conflict with nor contradict each other."
Given that the government is currently suffering financial difficulties, whether Chang's trip will further strain the nation's coffers was another concern.
Wu downplayed the budget issue, saying, "The ministry has long allocated sufficient funds for high-ranking officials' foreign trips."
Expressing its support, the DPP legislative caucus yesterday said that Chang should make the trip to promote the nation's foreign relations, dismissing opposition remarks that the Cabinet should focus all its efforts on post-typhoon reconstruction work.
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