Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) will today embark on a two-week trip to visit two of the nation's Central American allies. She will also make transit stops in two US cities.
Leading a delegation of more than 150 economic advisers, government officials, business leaders, agricultural and technology representatives, Lu and the group will make a transit stop in Houston, Texas, on the way to El Salvador and Guatemala, and will make a stopover in Miami, Florida on the way back to Taipei.
Aside from cementing Taiwan's diplomatic ties with El Salvador and Guatemala, the purposed of Lu's trip is also to lead the business delegation to the region to seek potential sources of investment for Taiwanese firms.
"I hope the visit will help Taiwanese businesses to map out possible opportunities in Central America," Lu said.
Among the issues to be discussed with Taiwan's diplomatic allies is a proposal to build a "Taiwan Park" industrial zone in El Salvador, and establish a vocational training center called the Taiwan Institute for Development.
To demonstrate Taiwan's determination to help preserve the region's cultural heritage, a preservation agreement for Antigua, Guatemala -- a popular tourist destination -- is expected to be signed between Lu and the Guatemalan government, the vice president said.
Antigua, one of Guatemala's most historically-rich cities, was founded in the early 16th century.
Its monumental ruins are preserved after they were all but destroyed by an earthquake in 1773.
It was listed by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1979 as one of the world's Protected Heritage sites.
During her Latin American tour, Lu will also attend a Democratic Pacific Union regional meeting, to be held in Guatemala.
The union, which is Lu's brainchild, was formed last year with the aim of facilitating greater communication between Taiwan's allies in Central America and Asia, as well as promoting democracy, freedom and human rights in the region.
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