Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) left for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last night to observe the resumption of direct flights between Taiwan and UAE capital Abu Dhabi, and to visit local officials to press for bilateral projects.
The trip, which comes shortly after Chinese President Hu Jintao's (
Other officials in the delegation include National Security Council Deputy Secretary General Parris Chang (
The official delegation is expected to attend a China Airlines' (CAL) ceremony today in Abu Dhabi marking new direct flights. CAL has said that the new Taipei-Abu Dhabi route will meet the growing demand from Taiwanese tourists and businesspeople who want to visit the UAE.
The UAE includes seven emirates. Abu Dhabi, the emirate with the highest oil revenues, has expressed interest in developing closer ties with Taiwan in recent years, foreign ministry officials said yesterday.
"For instance, the chief of Abu Dhabi's Tourism Authority has shown a keen interest in promoting bilateral relations with Taiwan as it wants to boost Abu Dhabi's international visibility," an official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Taipei Times yesterday.
"It is part of Abu Dhabi authorities' plan to develop the emirate in order to shorten the development gap with Dubai, another wealthy emirate of the UAE. There has always been a competitive relationship between Abu Dhabi and Dubai," the official said.
During the four-day trip, the delegation will visit local tourism and oil facilities in Abu Dhabi and take a half-day trip to Dubai. The delegation is expected to return to Taipei on Saturday.
In the past year, government officials have made frequent trips to the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries in secret, the official said. This trip represents the first time that the UAE has been willing to give a Taiwanese delegation an official, public reception.
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