Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to visit the UK during her ongoing European trip, which originally included only Lithuania and Denmark, her office said today.
Tsai departed Taiwan for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark, marking her second visit to the continent since her two-term presidency ended in May last year.
Photo: Taipei Times
Her office issued a statement today saying that Tsai would also visit the UK "for a few days," during which she is to meet with UK politicians and Taiwanese professionals, and visit academic and research institutions.
Following Tsai's stop in Denmark, she is to visit the UK at the "invitation of friends in the UK parliament" to further enhance the cordial relations between Taiwan and the UK, the office said.
It did not explain why the UK was not included in the original release of the itinerary for Tsai's European trip.
The statement was issued after the Japanese news magazine Nikkei Asia reported earlier today that the former president would also visit the UK during her current European trip.
Last year, the British newspaper the Guardian reported that Tsai would visit the UK in October last year as part of her first international tour after her presidency ended in May.
However, the trip was canceled, as then-British foreign secretary David Lammy was about to make a "goodwill visit" to China, the newspaper said, citing a source involved in the discussions.
Tsai's office did not confirm the Guardian report.
On Saturday, Tsai arrived in Lithuania on the first leg of her current trip to Europe.
While in Lithuania, the former president is scheduled to deliver a speech at Vilnius University and meet with former Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė, who was in office from 2009 to 2019.
After her visit to the Baltic nation, Tsai is to travel to Denmark to speak at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, which is to be held in the Danish capital from tomorrow to Wednesday.
It is Tsai's second visit to Europe since she left office, following a trip to the Czech Republic, France and Belgium in October last year.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
RSS