Dominican Republic President-elect Leonel Fernandez Reyna said yesterday that his country will continue to maintain and strengthen diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Fernandez, who was sworn in as the Dominican Republic's president yesterday, made the commitment while meeting with visiting Premier Yu Shyi-kun.
PHOTO: CNA
Yu congratulated Fernandez on his success in winning the presidency. He also expressed the hope that Taiwan-Dominican relations and cooperation can be further expanded during Fernandez's tenure.
The premier arrived in the Caribbean nation Saturday after a two-day transit stop in Los Angeles. He attended Fernandez's inauguration on behalf of President Chen Shui-bian (
Yu forwarded Chen's personal letter to Fernandez and invited him to visit Taiwan on Chen's behalf.
Earlier in the day, Yu met with outgoing Dominican President Rafael Hipolito Mejia Dominquez for wide-ranging talks. In addition to conveying Chen's regards and letter to Mejia, Yu also invited Mejia to visit Taiwan. Mejia promised to head a group of young Dominican business executives to visit Taiwan next spring.
In the afternoon, Yu toured a Taiwan-donated vocational training center housed in the Institute of Technology of Latin America. Yu chatted with the training center's seed instructors who had just concluded a three-month training course in Taiwan. Yu said he is pleased to see the seed instructors help train engineers and skilled workers to promote their country's industrial development.
Yu also attended a dinner hosted by major Taiwanese organizations in the Dominican Republic in honor of him and his entourage.
Members of Yu's entourage include Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh (
This is Yu's second overseas trip since assuming the premiership in February 2002. The 13-day diplomatic tour will also take him to Honduras and Nicaragua.
Meanwhile, Yu has taken advantage of his visit to the Dominican Republic to drum up support for Taiwan's bid to join the Organization of American States (OAS) as an observer, a member of Yu's entourage said Sunday.
Lin said Yu sought the support of former Costa Rican President Miguel Angel Rodriguez, who will soon be sworn in as OAS secretary-general, for the Taiwan's observership bid during a state banquet hosted by outgoing Dominquez.
Lin said Yu and his wife were seated at the same table with Rodriguez and an OAS deputy secretary-general of US citizenship.
Also see story:
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
RSS