Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to visit the UK during her ongoing European trip, which originally included only Lithuania and Denmark, her office said yesterday.
Tsai departed Taiwan for Europe on Friday last week, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark, marking her second visit to the continent since her two-term presidency ended in May last year.
Her office issued a statement yesterday saying that Tsai, who has a doctorate from the London School of Economics, would also visit the UK “for a few days,” during which she would meet with politicians and Taiwanese professionals, and visit academic and research institutions.
Photo: CNA
Following Tsai’s stop in Denmark, she is to visit the UK at the “invitation of friends in the UK parliament” to further enhance the cordial relations between Taiwan and the UK, the office said.
It did not explain why the UK was not included in the original release of the itinerary for Tsai’s European trip.
Britain, like most countries, has no official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but the economic and political exchanges between the two sides have increased as Beijing ratchets up military threats to force Taipei to accept its sovereignty claim over the democratic island.
“The UK’s longstanding position on Taiwan has not changed,” Britain’s Foreign Office said in a statement. “Parliament is entirely independent of Government and parliamentarians can invite anyone they wish to the UK.”
There will be no official engagement between government ministers or officials on Tsai’s visit to London, in line with long-standing practice.
The statement on Tsai’s revised travel plans was issued after Japan’s Nikkei Asia reported earlier yesterday that the former Taiwanese president would also visit the UK during her European trip.
British newspaper the Guardian reported that Tsai would visit the UK in October last year as part of her first international tour after her presidency ended, but the trip was canceled as British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy was about to make a “goodwill visit” to China, the newspaper said, citing a source involved in the discussions.
Tsai’s office did not confirm the Guardian report.
Tsai arrived in Lithuania on Saturday on the first leg of her trip to Europe.
While in Lithuania, the former president was scheduled to deliver a speech at Vilnius University and meet with former Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite, who was in office from 2009 to 2019.
After her visit to the Baltic nation, Tsai was to travel to Denmark to speak at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, which is to be held in the Danish capital today and tomorrow.
It is Tsai’s second visit to Europe since she left office following a trip to the Czech Republic, France and Belgium in October last year.
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