President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is planning to visit allies in Central America and the Caribbean between May and June with a possible transit in New York City, a Chinese-language newspaper said yesterday.
The newspaper reported yesterday that Chen's planned trip will begin on May 25 and is scheduled to end on June 5, covering diplomatic allies Panama, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic Haiti and Grenada. The report also said the US is expected to grant Chen a transit stop in New York en route to Central America as it has done on previous occasions.
Judith Mudd-Krijgelmans, spokesperson for the Taipei office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), said of the US principle in offering Taiwanese officials transits in the US, "We have from time to time provided transits for Taiwan's senior leaders when they travel overseas for their safety, comfort and convenience while respecting the dignity of the travelers, and we'll continue to do so."
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Richard Shih (石瑞琦) yesterday said neither the date nor concrete details of the president's visit have been finalized.
"It is always one of our major jobs to arrange foreign visits for the head of state, and we have also earmarked a budget for this purpose," Shih said.
"We will plan the visits with discretion based on the principles of safety, comfort, dignity and convenience. But the date and details have not yet been finalized," Shih added.
Spokesman of the Presidential Office James Huang (
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