The US State Department has announced that Vice President Annette Lu (
In doing so, the department in effect confirmed that the Bush administration rejected Taiwan's requests that Lu transit through Los Angeles and New York.
Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the decision on the transit itinerary was based on "criteria we've used for past transits," although no top Taiwanese official in recent memory has been banned from visiting Los Angeles and New York.
The tougher treatment accorded Lu clearly reflects the cooling of Washington-Taipei relations and comes five days after Washington heaped praise on President Chen Shui-bian's (
According to Boucher, Lu will arrive in Las Vegas tomorrow and leave for Central America on Sunday. On her return, she will arrive in San Francisco on Friday, June 6, and leave for Taipei on Tuesday, June 9.
Boucher also indicated that the Bush administration has barred Lu from making any public statements or holding any public functions during her time in the US.
That contrasts sharply with Chen's transit last October, when he received a prestigious human rights award in New York and held press conferences with Taiwanese journalists.
That visit sharply angered Beijing and Washington's decision on Lu's stopovers is clearly aimed at placating China in view of the warm relations that have developed between the US and China since Chen's visit.
As is the custom, Lu will be greeted by officials of the American Institute in Taiwan when she arrives in Las Vegas.
Lu will be meeting with members of Congress, however, "I am not aware of any public or media events," during the stopover, Boucher said.
Pressed by reporters, Boucher admitted he could not give the rationale for limiting Lu to Las Vegas on her arrival, although he said he would "check the airline schedules for Las Vegas to Latin America."
He said he did not know the answer to a question from a reporter whether "the members of Congress will meet her at the craps table."
As with past visits by senior Taiwanese officials, Boucher said the itinerary was based on the "safety, comfort and convenience of the traveler or respecting the dignity of the traveler."
"We have a very established way of handling these visits. We look at them the same way every time. We take similar decisions every time. We're very clear about it. The travelers understand it. Everybody understands it. It's not different this time," he said.
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