The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Guam is to officially reopen tomorrow with a dual Double Ten National Day and grand opening celebration livestreamed on YouTube.
Office Director Paul Chen (陳盈連), who arrived in Guam on Sept. 23 to assume the post, said that he would “do his utmost to advance economic and civil exchanges” between the two sides.
In an interview with the Guam Daily Post, Chen said he has experienced a lot in his first two weeks as director.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Chen said that he has felt the passion of Guamanians, and looks forward to having more opportunities to integrate into Guamanian society once preventative measures are eased.
TECO not only serves Taiwanese abroad, but also helps the people of Guam travel to Taiwan, Chen said, vowing to work hard to advance exchanges between the two sides, despite travel restrictions and the current lack of direct flights.
After Guam experienced a surge of COVID-19 cases in August, the local government instituted a series of economic control measures that began to ease late last month.
According to Guam’s official figures, the territory as of Wednesday had 2,864 cases, with 50 new cases confirmed that day.
The Guam office was temporarily closed in August 2017 due to budgetary and other considerations, with the office in Palau taking over consular duties.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in July announced its intention to reopen the office the following month, but the plan was postponed due to the pandemic.
The Guam office would be the nation’s 13th representative office in the US and its territories.
Tomorrow’s ceremony is to begin at 10am in Guam, or 9am in Taiwan. A link to the video can be found via the office’s Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
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