Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
Mark Chen said the president had also wanted to visit Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands.
But to ensure the president will be back on Feb. 1 for when the new legislature convenes and the Cabinet is reshuffled, changes have been made to the itinerary. Chen Shui-bian will now visit the three South Pacific nations in the second half of this year.
The schedule at the end of the month had also been shortened for the same reasons, Presidential Office spokesman Chen Wen-tsung (陳文宗) said yesterday.
It was originally reported that the president would embark on a week-long visit to the South Pacific. But in view of the political situation at home, Chen Shui-bian had decided to shorten the trip, Chen Wen-tsung said.
While details of the trip are yet to be finalized, he said the Presidential Office would make the president's itinerary public once the preparations and details were complete.
The Marshall Islands had been penciled in for a Jan. 29 stopover, and Marshall Islands President Kessai Note wanted to be personally in charge of planning for the visit, said Taiwan's ambassador to the Marshall Islands, Chen Lien-gene (陳連軍).
Note leaves this week for a fortnight of meetings in Mauritius and Japan which would not allow him time to do this, the ambassador said.
Note and Chen earlier discussed the visit during a telephone conversation earlier this week, and alternative dates for a Marshall Islands visit were under consideration, he added.
Chen is still expected to attend the inauguration ceremony of the president of Palau.
The officials said that Chen would leave on Jan. 27 to attend the inauguration ceremony of Paluan President Tommy Rem-engesau, Jr. the next day.
They said a team was currently in the South Pacific arranging for the visit.
Most South Pacific airports cannot accommodate large aircraft, so China Airlines will use a 737 passenger plane for the trip.
Additional reporting by Huang Tai-lin
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
RSS