While President Chen Shui-bian (
Mark Chen said that he approached Powell, who was attending the event on behalf of US President George W. Bush, when he saw the secretary in the room.
"I introduced myself as the foreign minister from Taiwan, and expressed gratitude [to Powell] for the US' assistance to Taiwan, such as supporting the nation's bid to join the World Health Assembly (WHA)," said the foreign minister. "The exchange was brief, however, because Powell was busy, as there were other dignitaries from other countries surrounding him."
The foreign minister added that he wanted to find the president, but didn't know where he was at the time.
Mark Chen said that the president might have had a chance of running into Powell at the state banquet following the inauguration ceremony, if the US Secretary of State hadn't had to leave so soon.
Powell didn't stay for the banquet, but left shortly after the conclusion of the inauguration ceremony.
Chen and his entourage were in Panama to attend the inauguration of Panamanian President Martin Torrijos.
Whether or not Chen would get a chance to meet and interact with US Secretary of State Colin Powell was closely followed by Taiwan media.
During his visit to Panama to attend the Central American country's centenary celebrations, Chen had a chance to exchange pleasantries and shake hands -- twice -- with US Secretary of State Colin Powell. The exchange was the most senior-level encounter between the two countries' officials since 1979, when the US severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
During the inauguration ceremony, which was two hours longer than was original scheduled, Chen was placed between Haitian President Boniface Alexandre and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez.
Presidential Deputy Secretary-General James Huang (黃志芳), who also accompanied Chen on the diplomatic trip to Panama, told reporters that Chen was seated between Honduran President Ricardo Maduro and Spanish Crown Prince Felipe's wife, Letizia Ortiz, during the state banquet. Sitting across from Chen was the wife of Panamanian President Martin Torrijos.
Huang said Chen exchanged pleasantries with the other guests, and that he had extended an invitation to the recently married Ortiz to visit Taiwan on her honeymoon.
Saying that she would love to visit Taiwan, Ortiz added that "the travel itinerary must not be public, because [she] is afraid of paparazzi," Huang said.
Later that night Chen took part in a banquet hosted by expatriates held in his honor.
Aside from the expatriates, more than 70 devoted fans of "A-bian" -- as Chen is often referred to -- flew in from places such as New York, Houston, San Francisco and Guatemala to join Chen during the banquet.
Chen told the audience that in order to return to Taiwan for the nation's relief work in northern and central Taiwan, which was devastated by Typhoon Aere, he needed to maintain a jam-packed schedule and itinerary during his Central American visit.
The trip was delayed for a day and shorted by a day.
"The trip is being abbreviated not because we want to save money from staying at hotels or taking showers," Chen said, adding that his hectic schedule on his inauguration day was less busy than the trip he currently embarked on.
"But this is the way we have to do it to work for our diplomatic affairs," said the president.
Also see story:
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS