US Representative Tom Tancredo has extended an invitation to former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) to visit Washington later this year.
Tancredo, one of Congress’ most ardent supporters of Taiwan, hand-delivered the invitation, in the form of letters to Chen and Lu, to Representative to the US Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), during a private dinner at Taiwan’s Washington mansion, Twin Oaks, on Wednesday evening.
The dinner was to mark Wu’s return to Taiwan after more than a year in office.
In the letters, Tancredo recalled his invitation two years ago, when Chen and Lu were in office, and when such an invitation faced certain rejection by the State Department and administration of US President George W. Bush.
“While I had hoped to host you ... in Washington, DC while you were still in office, I would like to invite both [of you] to visit the United States later this year now that you have both become private citizens,” Tancredo wrote.
In support of his invitation, Tancredo noted that former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) visited the US Capitol in 2005, and that former vice president Lien Chan (連戰) visited the US for a university lecture earlier this year.
“I certainly hope that we can afford the same honor to both [of] you if your schedules will permit,” Tancredo wrote.
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