China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chairman Chen Deming (陳德銘) is to arrive in Taipei on Nov. 30 for a seven-day visit, a Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) official said.
Chen was originally scheduled to visit early this month, but China reportedly wanted him to make a trip at the end of this month when ARATS and the foundation meet to review results of the implementation of agreements signed by the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
The third review meeting is to be held on Nov. 30 in Taipei, with SEF Vice Chairperson Shih Hui-fen (施惠芬) to head the government’s team and ARATS Vice President Zheng Lizhong (鄭立中) leading the Chinese delegation.
Though Chen is due to arrive in Taipei that day, he is not scheduled to attend the review meeting.
He is scheduled to visit Keelung, Yilan, Miaoli and Nantou, but his itinerary has not been finalized, the foundation official said.
A planned excursion to Kinmen was canceled, so Taichung might be added to his itinerary.
Foundation Chairman Lin Join-sane (林中森) on Oct. 28 said that Chen might go to cities and counties he has not visited in the past and might visit two sites in New Taipei City, the Gold Museum in Ruifang District (瑞芳) and Fort San Domingo in Tamsui District (淡水) as well as the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology in Keelung and the 921 Earthquake Museum in Nantou.
Lin said that Chen would not meet with any politicians and his trip has nothing to do with January’s elections, adding that the main purpose of the trip is to gain a better understanding of Taiwan’s grassroots soft power by interacting with society and learning about Taiwan’s experience with organizing farmers’ and fishermen’s associations.
Chen’s itinerary is due to be released this week.
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