The Presidential Office held a press conference on the afternoon of August 6 to announce that Vice President Wu Den-yih will lead a delegation from Taiwan on visits to two of the ROC's diplomatic allies in the Caribbean – the Dominican Republic and Belize. Vice President Wu will depart on the trip, dubbed Project Sustained Friendship , on August 13. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Shen-Yeaw Ko (柯森耀) explained the group's itinerary.
Vice Minister Ko remarked that the delegation will depart from Taiwan on the 12-day trip on August 13 and will return on August 24. In addition to first visiting the Dominican Republic and then Belize, the delegation will make transit stops in New York City on the outbound and Los Angeles on the return. Included among the delegation will be the heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission , and the Council of Labor Affairs .
Vice Minister Ko stated that Vice President Wu will attend activities and banquets associated with the inauguration of Dominican Republic President-elect Danilo Medina . Arrangements have also been made for him to hold bilateral discussions and exchange opinions with outgoing President Leonel Fernandez and President-elect Medina, along with other high-ranking outgoing and incoming government officials in the Dominican Republic. During his stay in the Dominican Republic, the vice president will inspect the achievements of cooperation between the two countries, including the Cyber Park of Santo Domingo , the nation's vocational training agency , and a new job training facility that has been set up under the framework of a bilateral cooperation project. Vice President Wu will also hold banquets for overseas compatriots living in the Dominican Republic and will express the ROC government's concern for their well-being.
After leaving the Dominican Republic, Vice President Wu will continue on to Belize. Vice Minister Ko stated that President Ma Ying-jeou led a delegation to Belize in May 2009, but since that time the ROC has not sent a high-ranking official to visit that nation. Consequently, Vice President Wu will lead a delegation to Belize to strengthen relations between the two countries and to extend congratulations to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who started his second term as prime minister in March after his party won a general election . Vice President Wu will also examine successes achieved in technical cooperation between the two countries and will hold a banquet for overseas compatriots in that nation, according to Vice Minister Ko. It is expected that the visit will help to enhance friendship between the ROC and Belize.