Vice President Annette Lu (
It was the first time that Lu was to visit the three countries, which have all seen changes of government in the past two months.
Lu said that the purpose of her trip was to consolidate relations with the allies.
She also said that she would hold meetings with the heads of state of the three countries and review the operations of Taiwan's technical assistance missions there.
Marshall Islands President Litokwa Tomeing, Nauru President Marcus Stephen and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Derek Sikua will all visit Taiwan soon after my return, Lu said.
Lu's first stop is scheduled for Nauru, where she will take part in a series of festivities marking the country's National Day on Thursday as President Chen Shui-bian's (
Lu will then visit the Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) said Lu had initially intended to fly on board Air Force One.
That plan had to be abandoned because of limitations at one of the airports.
Lu will make a brief transit stop in the US territory of Guam before going to the Marshall Islands and for the return flight to Taiwan.
Lu thanked the ministry for making the arrangements for the stopover in Guam and said she appreciated the quick US response to the stopover request.
Lu made the announcement during a press conference to publicize her itinerary.
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
The Central Weather Administration has issued a heat alert for southeastern Taiwan, warning of temperatures as high as 36°C today, while alerting some coastal areas of strong winds later in the day. Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門) and Pingtung County’s Neipu Township (內埔) are under an orange heat alert, which warns of temperatures as high as 36°C for three consecutive days, the CWA said, citing southwest winds. The heat would also extend to Tainan’s Nansi (楠西) and Yujing (玉井) districts, as well as Pingtung’s Gaoshu (高樹), Yanpu (鹽埔) and Majia (瑪家) townships, it said, forecasting highs of up to 36°C in those areas
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the