President Tsai accompanies Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales on visit to Daxi Tea Factory and Daxi Old Street
On the morning of May 2, President Tsai Ing-wen specially invited Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, First Lady Patricia de Morales, and members of their delegation to visit the Daxi Tea Factory and Daxi Old Street in Taoyuan City together.
The group, accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and Taoyuan City Mayor Cheng Wen-Tsan (鄭文燦) and his wife, watched a film and learned about the history of the Daxi Tea Factory. They also saw historical artifacts such as tea rollers and other tea manufacturing equipment, and tasted teas together, gaining a personal appreciation of Taiwan's unique tea culture.
At Daxi Old Street, President Tsai and the visiting delegation visited the Hwang RyhShiang Story House, where they tasted Daxi's famous dried tofu and soybean milk. They also visited the No. 40 Lower Street Workshop, where they tried their hand at making stone rubbings. Wherever the leaders of the two countries went, they received a warm welcome from citizens, and all along the route President Tsai and President and First Lady Morales cordially interacted with citizens and took commemorative photos.
Finally, President Tsai visited the Puji Temple, where she prayed for prosperity and peace for Taiwan's citizens, and favorable weather. President Tsai and President and First Lady Morales also attended a street performance showcasing Taiwan's unique culture and Daxi's traditional "shetou culture," and President and First Lady Morales were deeply impressed by these traditional Taiwanese folk arts.
Slightly earlier in the day, while fielding questions from the media, President Tsai was asked about whether the Solomon Islands, a diplomatic ally of Taiwan's in the South Pacific, was possibly planning to break diplomatic ties with Taiwan and switch recognition to China. The president stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already made public statements regarding this matter, and the government is closely monitoring the overall situation. Recently, she said, China has definitely continued to increase suppression of Taiwan's international space ever more forcefully. However, she added, we will do everything in our power to work together with our diplomatic allies to stabilize Taiwan's foreign relations.
When reporters asked about the remarks of Senior Advisor to the President James Soong (宋楚瑜), chairman of the People First Party, regarding China's "one country, two systems" model for Taiwan, the president reiterated that the "one country, two systems" formula is unacceptable for the people of Taiwan. She said that we are committed to democracy and freedom, and the Taiwanese people have the right to decide their own future. This is our bottom line, she said, and all politicians and political parties and factions must collectively adhere to this bottom line. We also hope, she added, that Chairman Soong himself will come forward and clarify his remarks for the public. If he expresses agreement with the "one country, two systems" formula, said President Tsai, we will ask him to give up his post.
Legislator Chiang Chieh-an (蔣絜安) was also present at the day's activities.