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.
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