Despite China’s opposition, Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan, will go on a tour of Central America on the 29th.
On the 28th, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported that President Tsai would depart for Taipei at noon on the same day and begin a 10-day, 9-night, so-called “Glory with Democracy Partners” tour.
Specifically, President Tsai is scheduled to arrive in New York on the 30th and stay for two days. On the 30th, he will receive the Global Leadership Award from the Hudson Institute, an American think tank. Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and media conglomerate Rupert Murdoch have received this award.
They will then arrive in Guatemala on April 1, hold a summit meeting with Guatemalan President Alejandro Hiamatei, and move to Belize on the 3rd. President Tsai is scheduled to hold a meeting with Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow on the 4th and address the parliament.
While passing through Los Angeles on the 5th, President Tsai will meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and give a speech at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. It has been reported that Republican Mike Gallagher, chairman of the House Special Committee on China, will attend the meeting between House Speaker McCarthy and President Tsai.
President Tsai plans to return to Taiwan on the 7th after completing diplomacy via the US.
In the midst of this, it was reported that White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan made a phone call with Wang Yi, a member of the Central Political Bureau and head of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office, on the 24th.
The call was a private call and details were not disclosed.
Meanwhile, White House National Security Council (NSC) Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said at a regular briefing on the 28th (local time), “There is no plan for a meeting between the White House and President Tsai.”
“This is President Tsai’s seventh stopover in the United States, and it is not an official visit, but a private schedule,” dismissed Kirby.
However, resistance from China is expected.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.