The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that Panama, one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in Latin America, has issued an official invitation to president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to attend the inauguration ceremony of the newly expanded Panama Canal in June.
Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said that the ministry has received a copy of the invitation addressed to Tsai and has forwarded it to her office.
Lin said that the invitation is important, because Tsai’s attendance at the ceremony would help cement diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Panama.
Democratic Progressive Party spokesperson Wang Min-sheng (王閔生) later yesterday said the party is aware of the invitation, but added it would brief the public after further discussions.
Panama’s Canal Authority Administrator Jorge Quijano on Wednesday said that an expansion to the Panama Canal is set open on June 26.
According to the BBC’s Chinese Web site, the Panama Canal Authority has sent formal invitation letters to the heads of state and government officials of 70 nations, including Tsai and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), to attend the opening ceremony.
Panama has a policy of maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan and commercial relations with China. China is the second-biggest user of the Panama Canal.
Additional reporting by Loa Iok-sin
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