US Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, a Democrat from Nevada, hosted a dinner Saturday in honor of Taiwan Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), who arrived in Las Vegas on Friday for a two-day transit stop on her way to El Salvador for an official visit.
Berkley said she is very pleased to receive Lu in her home state.
"I hope you'll have a nice trip here," Berkley told Lu.
She also wished Lu many happy returns on the eve of her 60th birthday.
Berkley traveled to Taipei last August to attend the first Democratic Pacific Alliance conference presided over by Taiwan's Vice President.
Lu invited Berkley to visit Taipei again at a time of her convenience.
Also present at the dinner were members of Lu's entourage, including Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General James Huang (黃志芳), Vice Foreign Affairs Minister Huang Lung-yuan (黃瓏元) along with members of the Presidential Office's panel on human rights and its science and technology advisory commission.
Earlier in the day, Lu toured Las Vegas' largest conference facility as well as its major tourist attractions, including Caesars Palace's Forum Mall and Bellagio Museum.
Lu said Taiwan has much to learn from Las Vegas in developing it into a non-government organizations conference center and in promoting Taiwan's tourist industry.
Lu said the government plans to build a large international convention center on a 200-hectare site in Chunghsing New Village, Nantou county.
Lu also mentioned that Taiwan may soon allow the construction of Las Vegas-style casinos on Penghu Island. Lu said she hopes to attract major Las Vegas business groups to invest in Taiwan's recreational, tourist and conference services.
While meeting with a group of Taiwanese community members in the Nevada area, Lu said she hopes Taiwan can become a nation of integrity, dignity and beauty, and that the nation will have permanent, stable politics as well as normalized relations with China.
Lu will next fly to El Salvador to attend Salvadoran President-elect Elias Antonio Saca's inauguration on June 1. She will also visit Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Lu will make a transit stop in San Francisco on her return trip.
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