Vice President Annette Lu (
Ministry spokesman Richard Shih (石瑞琦) said the itinerary of the US leg before Lu's visit to El Salvador had yet to be finalized.
Local television reported Lu was due to visit Los Angeles and New York, without specifying whom she would meet.
Lu and President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) have previously met US lawmakers during their stopovers but any meeting with US government officials was considered an unlikely move that would anger Beijing.
Relations between Taipei and Washington hit a low point after Chen called a landmark referendum in March on relations with China.
The referendum plans provoked a stinging rebuke from Washington, with US President George W. Bush saying he was against any unilateral move threatening the cross-straits status quo.
Lu's trip will also take her to Guatemala and El Salvador as part of Taipei's efforts to consolidate ties with its allies as China steps up a diplomatic push in the region, Taiwan's major international support base.
Twenty-six countries, 13 of them in Latin America, recognize Taiwan.
A Chinese-language newspaper reported that the failure of Honduran President Ricardo Maduro to stop off in Taipei during his current trip to Asia and Europe shows that ties between the two are in danger.
All eyes in Taipei were on whether Maduro would meet Chinese officials in Tokyo or quietly visit Beijing, the paper reported.
But Shih denied any threat to Honduras-Taiwan ties. "Ties with Honduras remain stable," he said.
In its diplomatic tug-of-war with Taipei, Beijing made a fresh score on March 30 when China swayed Dominica.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
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