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進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》Ministry mum on Tsai visit stops
Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang yesterday in Taipei displays presents that President Tsai Ing-wen has prepared for the heads of state and first ladies of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua before her trip to Central America tomorrow. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
SNUBBED: Most political parties are sending lawmakers to accompany President Tsai Ing-wen on her Central American trip, except the Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT）
By Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday remained tight-lipped about the details of President Tsai Ing-wen’s （蔡英文） scheduled transit stops in the US on her way to and back from a nine-day visit to Central American allies, saying only that the transits would be made in conformity with past principles.
During a routine news conference at the ministry, Department of North American Affairs Deputy Director-General Hsu You-tien （徐佑典） was asked about reports that Tsai could meet with members of US president-elect Donald Trump’s transition team.
“To uphold the customary practices governing Taiwan-US interactions, I cannot disclose details regarding [Tsai’s] transit stops. Our basic principle is to ensure comfort, safety, convenience and dignity,” Hsu said.
Asked whether there would be any “surprises” during Tsai’s visit, given Trump’s response of “we will see” to media queries about the possibility of him meeting Tsai when she transits in the US, Hsu said he is not in a position to explain what Trump meant.
“As the president has stated earlier, she will simply be transiting through [the US] and do what she is supposed to do during a transit,” Hsu said.
Despite pressure from Beijing about Tsai’s plans, Washington’s stance on allowing a Taiwanese leader to make transit stops remains intact, Hsu said.
Speculation of a possible Tsai-Trump meeting emerged after the two spoke on the telephone on Dec. 2, the first publicly reported call between a Taiwanese leader and US president or a president-elect since 1979.
Tsai is to visit Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador from Saturday to Sunday next week.
She is to attend the inauguration ceremony of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, which is scheduled for Tuesday.
Tsai is to transit in Houston, Texas, on the first leg of her trip, and is to transit in San Francisco on her way back to Taiwan.
She will be leading a delegation of about 120 people, including National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu （吳釗燮）, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee （李大維）, Overseas Community Affairs Council Minister Wu Hsin-hsing （吳新興）, as well as deputy heads of government agencies and businesspeople.
Several political parties are sending lawmakers to accompany the president on the trip, but not the Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT）.
Hsu said the ministry’s focus is Trump’s Cabinet members, adding that it has been seeking to establish contacts with all potential appointees to understand their policies and stances.
“That will help us determine how to present our issues to them after the Trump administration is sworn in,” Hsu said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
