Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) arrived in New York Sunday evening for a three-day transit stop en route to Managua to attend the inauguration of Nicaraguan President-elect Enrique Bolanos Geyer.
American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Richard Bush and Taiwan's representative to the US Chen Chien-jen (程建人) greeted Lu and her entourage at the airport.
Braving chilly winds and heavy rain, more than 400 Taiwanese expatriates in the greater New York area lined up along the street near the Waldorf Hotel to welcome Lu. In appreciation for their hospitality, Lu got out of the limousine and waved at the cheering crowd of well-wishers.
Later on, Lu met with 200-plus overseas Chinese community representatives at a tea party hosted by Chen. US Senator Robert Torricelli and New York City Councilor Martin Golden also attended the reception.
Lu used the occasion to express her gratitude to the US government for the courteous treatment she has received during her transit stop. She also expressed her condolences for those who were killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
Noting that the US has been Taiwan's closest friend, Lu said she has been heartily grateful for longtime US assistance and support.
She also hailed Taiwan's Jan. 1 accession to the WTO, saying the historic event will not only help widen Taiwan's vision but will also help upgrade Taiwan's international profile.
Lu was to meet with scholars and experts of noted American think tanks, US congressional heavyweights and senior business executives in the morning. In the afternoon, she was to tour the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is scheduled to have dinner at former Senator Lester Wolff's home on Long Island.
During her transit stay, Lu will also visit "Ground Zero," the remains of the razed twin towers of the World Trade Center, and donate US$50,000 to the Sept. 11 Attack Relief Fund on behalf of a private Taiwan organization.
Meanwhile, Lu will attend seminars with US business executives to persuade them to make investments in Taiwan and to brief them on the role Taiwan will play now that it is a member of the WTO.
Lu and her entourage will travel to Managua via a chartered plane on Thursday. From Managua, Lu will proceed to Asuncion on Jan. 12 for an official visit to Paraguay, Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in South America. She is scheduled to leave Asuncion Jan. 15 and stay in Los Angeles for three days before returning to Taipei on Jan. 19.
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