President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is to visit Taiwan’s diplomatic allies Belize and Guatemala next month and plans to make a transit stop in Houston en route to Central America and another transit stop in Los Angeles on his return, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Hou (侯清山) said yesterday.
Ma is to deliver a speech at the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) during his March 13-19 visit to the two Central American allies, Hou said in a news conference held by the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon.
The transit stops for this trip are in central and west coast US cities, which has sparked speculation by local media that Ma is unable to make a transit stop on the east coast, as he did in July last year, due to his visit to Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) at the end of last month that prompted criticism from the US.
As the trip’s destination is Central America, the question of where transit stops would occur was not of particular concern, Hou said, adding: “Comfort, convenience, safety and dignity are what were taken into consideration during planning for the trip.”
Ma is not scheduled to meet with US officials, Hou said in response to reporters’ questions, denying that the Central American allies have made requests for financial assistance.
The president’s entourage is to be comprised of about 70 to 80 people, including Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂), Deputy Secretary-General Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑), the heads of relevant departments and business representatives, Hou said.
Hou said Ma is to meet with Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, who was sworn into office on Jan. 14, and Belizean Prime Minister Dean Barrow, as well as the prime ministers of three Caribbean allies: Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; and Saint Lucia.
In regards to the content of Ma’s speech to be delivered to PARLACEN, Hou said it would tout the Ma administration’s efforts and achievements in pushing “viable diplomacy” over the past eight years.
The main motivation behind the visit was an official invitation from PARLACEN, Lin said yesterday morning at the Legislative Yuan.
“Both the Guatemalan and Belizean governments have also invited the president. I believe that this visit will consolidate our friendship with our Latin American allies,” Lin said.
“[Taiwan] has 12 diplomatic allies in Latin America, and the president is to interact with high-level officials from at least 10 allies this trip,” Lin added.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
The nation’s usually punctual high-speed rail system yesterday was hit by major disruptions after all scheduled services were canceled and replaced with three hourly trains offering only non-reserved seating, affecting more than 200,000 passengers. Preliminary findings indicate the disruption was caused by a faulty power module in a track switch control cabinet, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) said, adding that as a full system inspection could only be conducted after operations end for the day, a decision on whether normal service would resume today would be announced before the first train departs. During a routine inspection early yesterday, a switch signal abnormality
RSS