President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is likely to attend activities in Honolulu outside his hotel while on a transfer stop in Hawaii after his trip to Central America later this month, government officials said yesterday.
Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) did not deny the speculation yesterday but said that activities in San Francisco and Honolulu were still being arranged. Ma would do everything under the principle that “a transfer is simply a transfer” and that “things happen naturally,” Wang said.
Ma will make state visits to three Central American nations later this month. The main purpose of the trip is to attend the inauguration of Panamanian president-elect Ricardo Martinelli next Wednesday.
MUTUAL TRUST
The 169-person delegation will depart on Monday and return on July 8, with transfer stops in San Francisco on the way there and in Honolulu on the way back. The trip will also take Ma to Nicaragua and Honduras.
Taiwan’s Representative to the US Jason Yuan (袁健生) said the US government was pleased with how Ma handled the last two stopovers as Ma did not engage in any activities outside his hotel. As mutual trust between Taipei and Washington had been restored since Ma took office last May, the administration of US President Barack Obama had not expressed any opposition nor set any limitations on Ma’s activities in the US, Yuan said.
GOVERNOR MEETING
At a separate setting yesterday, Director-General of the Department of North American Affairs Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) said Ma would visit locations in Honolulu, including having a meal with Hawaiian Governor Linda Lingle.
Tseng added that the Taiwan press corps must abide by US rules that they cannot cover any of the events nor file any story on US soil.
Tseng said during the US stopovers of Ma’s last state visit earlier this month, Ma met or talked to 31 congressmen and senators, “laying a sound foundation for future stays.”
OPPOSITION
In response to the announcement of Ma’s upcoming overseas visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang (秦剛) yesterday in Beijing reiterated its “one China” policy and said China “opposes any official exchanges between Taiwan and other countries’ officials.”
In 2006, limits were placed on then-president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) transit stops in the US and activities during the transit, reportedly because the US administration was displeased that Chen apparently reneged on the so-called “five-noes” promises he made in his two inauguration addresses.
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