Cabinet details Premier's trip to Caribbean allies

Premier Chang Chun-hsiung's (張俊雄) upcoming trip to the Caribbean is scheduled for Aug. 31 to Sept. 12, Cabinet Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) said yesterday. The premier is to visit Saint Vincent, Saint Christopher, Dominica and Grenada during the tour.

"At the invitation of Saint Vincent's prime minister, Chang's upcoming trip is for the purpose of attending the a 20th anniversary commemoration of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and to visit three other neighboring allies to promote relations," Chiou said yesterday. He added that the trip would have to be made by Chang himself.

This will be Chang's first foreign trip as premier, and the size of his delegation is to be restricted to a maximum of 60 members to keep costs down. Premiers' overseas visits usually involve delegations of about 100 people.

"During his trip, the UN General Assembly will also be in session. The premier will therefore take the opportunity to express the government's thanks to the four allies for their support of Taiwan's bid to re-enter the world body and to the four Caribbean countries for their further endorsement," Chiou said.

He said that Chang is expected to make stopovers in the US, both on his way to the Caribbean and on his way back to Taiwan. The stopover cities and the itinerary for the trip are yet to be determined.