《TAIPEI TIMES》 Inauguration to eschew celebratory events

By Su Yung-yao and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The 15th presidential inauguration on Wednesday next week would not have celebratory events, such as a national banquet, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Presidential Office spokesman Ting Yun-kung （丁允恭） said yesterday.

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The office is not inviting guests from abroad, although diplomatic allies and nations friendly to Taiwan would send videos with congratulatory remarks, Ting told a news conference in Taipei.

The inauguration ceremony is to begin at 9am in an auditorium in the Presidential Office Building, where the president and vice president, as well as the premier, are to take the oath of office, Third Bureau Director David Lee （李南陽） said.

At 10am, President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） is to give her second inaugural speech at the Taipei Guest House, with the number of guests — including officials from foreign representative offices in Taiwan, and former presidents and vice presidents — limited to about 200, Lee said.

Frontline officials fighting the pandemic would also attend — a first in the nation’s history of presidential inaugurations, he added.

Guests are to receive gifts, including Taiwanese-made wet wipes, hand creams, sanitizers and soap, he said.

General Association of Chinese Culture deputy secretary-general Lee Hou-ching （李厚慶）, who is responsible for the aesthetics of the inauguration ceremony, said that the design features mountains, hands, ears and the Republic of China flag.

These elements represent the solid foundation of democracy, people’s support for each other, transparent communications channels between the government and the public, and national sovereignty, Lee Hou-ching said.

They are what make Taiwan an “island of resilience,” Lee Hou-ching added.

Additional reporting by CNA

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES