Before departing Central America yesterday for the next leg of his trip abroad, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said that maintaining relations with Taiwan's diplomatic allies is akin to moving into a new house.
"Taiwan's political transition is similar to when the original owner of a house has moved out and a new owner has moved in. Neighbors will of course be worried whether they will have good relations with the new owner, who must then go outside, say hello to the neighbors, and let them know who he or she is," Chen said. "The earlier the new owner takes action, the better," Chen said.
So far, on his trip, Chen has stressed repeatedly that the purpose of Taiwan's diplomatic efforts -- "standing up and moving forward" -- is to let the international community understand the new government and to alleviate its allies' concern about the future of bilateral relations.
Given that diplomacy has not been Chen's main area of expertise, he has taken great pains to prepare for the trip, asking his diplomatic staff to collect information on all state leaders he would or might meet.
The preparations have helped smooth his meetings.
In the Dominican Republic, Chen chatted to President Hipolito Mejia's about his long history of relations with Taiwan, and about Chen's visit to the Dominican Republic 16 years ago as a Taipei City Councilor.
In Nicaragua, Chen spoke to the country's parliament about his own background as a legislator.
In Costa Rica, Chen digged into details of the country's presidential elections and praised its democracy.
Chen also drew considerable attention at the inauguration of Dominica's President Hipolito Mejia, as other state leaders took interest in Taiwan's new president and came over for a chat.
Chen's stardom reached its peak when Mejia pulled him over to his side and introduced him to other state leaders one by one. Chen later recounted with relish how one state leader toasted with him in Japanese, "Combai!" (
Chen was quick in handling two potentially embarrassing situations during his trip: media speculation over his possible takeover of the chairmanship of the National Unification Council, and an announcement by the speakers of the Dominican parliament that Taiwan was giving US$4.8 million in aid to Dominica.
Chen quickly gave a press conference to allay media speculation over the issues.
Chen has also seized upon the trip to understand the situation on the ground at Taiwan's embassies abroad.
The president has spent considerable energy meeting with Taiwan's representatives and boosting their morale.
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