President and Mrs. Lee Teng-hui and a delegation of Republic of China officials departed for Latin America today for official visits to Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, and Paraguay. They will stop over in the United States en route from Taipei to Panama.
President and Mrs. Lee are paying visits to the four Latin American countries at the invitations of, respectively, President Ernesto Perez Balladares of Panama, President Carlos Roberto Reina of Honduras, President Armando Calderon Sol of El Salvador, and President Ing. Juan Carlos Wasmosy of Paraguay.
The Republic of China currently enjoys full diplomatic ties and cordial friendship with the four Latin American countries. Over the recent years, bilateral relations between the ROC and those countries have grown ever closer, and they have managed to assist and support each other in international affairs. Government-to-government cooperation and private exchanges in the areas of economy, trade, culture, agriculture and fishery have been on the increase remarkably.
President and Mrs. Lee and the delegation will attend the World Congress of the Panama Canal in Panama and join the leaders of six Central American governments for a summit meeting in El Salvador, and will visit the cultural and economic highlights in Paraguay and Honduras. Meanwhile, they will also take the opportunity to extend greetings on behalf of the ROC government and people to the Chinese immigrants and its diplomats in those countries.
President and Mrs. Lee firmly believe that through the visits, diplomatic ties between the Republic of China and the aforementioned nations will be further strengthened, and the welfare of their peoples enhanced.
The ROC delegation is scheduled to return to Taipei on September 19.