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Chen to shore up ties in latest trip

Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General James Huang holds up a doll from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines during a press conference yesterday announcing the itinerary for President Chen Shui-bian's trip to Central America and the Caribbean. The doll is the mascot for the trip. PHOTO: SUNG CHIH-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES

President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) trip next week to Central America and the Caribbean will strengthen diplomatic ties with five of the nation's allies, Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General James Huang (黃志芳) said yesterday.

Huang yesterday announced Chen's itinerary for the 12-day trip, confirming that Chen would transit in the US and not Japan. He said that Chen would stop over in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday.

Because southern states of the US have been busy with disaster relief measures in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Chen will not meet with Florida Governor Jeb Bush during his two-day stay there, Huang said.

However, Chen will receive an award from the US Congress honoring his long-time devotion to the promotion of human rights, Huang said.

Because of China's recent attempts to set up diplomatic relations with Guatemala, which has had diplomatic ties with Taiwan for more than seven decades, Chen will visit Guatemalan President Oscar Berger on Thursday and sign a Taiwan-Guatemala free-trade agreement.

In addition, Chen will follow up on commitments in a communique signed last month, when Berger was in Taipei for the inaugural conference of the Democratic Pacific Union (DPU).

Immediately after the DPU conference, Taiwanese officials led six civil aviation companies to Guatemala to explore opportunities for future collaboration.

Huang said that one other key mission of Chen's trip is to attend the Fifth Summit of the Republic of China (ROC) and Central America, to be held on Sept. 26 in Nicaragua. Huang said that Chen will visit the Dominican Republic prior to the summit.

Officials will also have talks with Dominican officials. In addition, the two sides will form teams for a game of softball. Taiwan's team will be named "Hungyeh" (Red Leaf) after the team of Bunun Aboriginal elementary schoolchildren who beat the then-Little League World Champions, Japan, 7-0 in an invitation game in Taipei in 1968.

"We will keep the spirit of the Hungyeh team in our minds as we expand Taiwan's diplomatic space," Huang said.

After the summit, Chen will visit Caribbean diplomatic allies Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Kitts and Nevis. According to Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Hwang (黃瀧元), Chen will become the first Taiwanese leader to visit these countries.

Apart from representatives from the Democratic Progressive Party and the Taiwan Solidarity Union, businesspeople with interests in the region will join the delegation.
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