Vice President Lai to attend inauguration of Honduran President Xiomara Castro
With the inauguration of incoming Honduran President Xiomara Castro scheduled for January 27, the Presidential Office held a press conference on the morning of January 19 to announce that President Tsai Ing-wen has appointed Vice President Lai Ching-te as her special envoy to lead a delegation to the Honduran presidential inauguration. President Tsai expressed hope that Vice President Lai's visit to the Republic of Honduras, a diplomatic ally of Taiwan, will serve to strengthen the Taiwan-Honduras alliance, bilateral cooperation, and democratic Taiwan's international participation.
Presidential Office Spokesperson Xavier Chang (張惇涵) began the press conference by explaining the purpose of the visit, stating that the inauguration of Honduran President-elect Castro has been scheduled for January 27, and that President Tsai had appointed Vice President Lai to serve as her special envoy to lead a delegation to attend the event.
Spokesperson Chang announced that the delegation will include Deputy Secretary-General to the President Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋), Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Tah-ray Yui (俞大㵢), Representative to the US Bi-khim Hsiao (蕭美琴), and Presidential Office Spokesperson Kolas Yotaka. In addition, to address concerns pertaining to COVID-19, Dr. Hou-chuan Chen (陳厚全), deputy superintendent of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Taoyuan General Hospital, will join the delegation as its disease prevention official. The delegation will consist of a total of 26 members, support staff, and security personnel.
Spokesperson Chang stated that the delegation is scheduled to depart from Taiwan on January 25 (local time), arrive in Honduras on January 27, and return to Taiwan on January 30, for a trip of six days and five nights. To provide for its safety and convenience, the delegation will make transit stops, further details of which will be announced to the public once confirmed.
Spokesperson Chang emphasized that President Tsai has given Vice President Lai and the delegation a three-part mission for their trip, the first part of which is to strengthen the Taiwan-Honduras alliance. Taiwan and Honduras have enjoyed over 80 years of diplomatic ties, and as a key ally in Central America, Honduras has also vigorously supported Taiwan's international participation in recent years. President Tsai expressed hope that this visit will further strengthen the enduring friendship between our nations.
Spokesperson Chang said that the second part of the delegation's mission is to strengthen bilateral cooperation. For many years, Taiwan and Honduras have enjoyed close collaboration in fields including trade, public health, education, social welfare, infrastructure, women's empowerment, agriculture, and fisheries. With the Central American market full of opportunities and potential for development, President Tsai said she hopes this visit will serve to strengthen cooperation between Taiwan and Honduras, encourage mutual assistance for mutual benefit, and advance the welfare of our peoples.
Spokesperson Chang stated that the third part of the mission is to strengthen democratic Taiwan's international participation, with this visit serving as a symbol of Taiwan's engagement with the international community. President Tsai hopes that our two countries will continue to support each other on the world stage and promote mutual development, and that Taiwan, Honduras, and other like-minded countries continue to work together to make important contributions on a range of global issues. Taiwan intends to show the international community that, as a democratic nation, we are a capable and responsible partner.
Spokesperson Chang added that, considering the continued severity of the global pandemic, the delegation will take appropriate disease prevention measures as advised by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC). In addition to cooperating with disease prevention measures in each country visited, wearing masks, social distancing, and regular sanitizing, the delegation will follow three principles to reduce the chance of infection.
The first of these principles, as explained by Spokesperson Chang, is "separation." Delegation members will travel on flights and in cars reserved for them exclusively, and will stay on their own exclusive floors in all accommodations to allow for separation from other guests. Meals will also be eaten in restaurants or dining halls used exclusively by delegation members or in members' own rooms, and a disease prevention professional will accompany the delegation on its trip.
The second principle is "screening." Delegation members will take PCR tests prior to departure, when leaving Honduras, and before returning to Taiwan. During their trip, all delegation members will also conduct daily temperature checks and rapid COVID-19 tests, and will undergo PCR tests at Taoyuan International Airport upon returning to Taiwan.
The third principle is "quarantine." Following discussions with the CECC, it has been decided that, to comply with current CECC guidelines and ensure safety, and provided all delegation members receive negative PCR tests upon their return to Taiwan, the vice president will be taken in a vehicle prepared by security authorities directly to his Tainan residence, where he will undergo 14 days of quarantine and seven days of self-health management. All other delegation members and support staff will reenter the country in accordance with the relevant disease prevention protocols.
Spokesperson Chang said we look forward to the delegation successfully accomplishing the mission entrusted to it by President Tsai: strengthening ties between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Honduras, strengthening bilateral collaboration, and strengthening democratic Taiwan's international participation.
Following Spokesperson Chang's statement, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Tah-ray Yui presented the delegation's itinerary. Vice Minister Yui noted that President Tsai had received invitations to Honduras' presidential inauguration ceremony from both incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernández and President-elect Castro, and said that, considering attendance at the presidential inauguration ceremony of a diplomatic ally would be a significant symbol of bilateral friendship, President Tsai appointed Vice President Lai to lead a delegation as her envoy in order to demonstrate the importance we place on our relations with Honduras.
Vice Minister Yui said that the delegation is scheduled to depart from Taoyuan on the morning of the 25th, arrive in Honduras on the 26th (local time), attend President Castro's inauguration on the 27th, leave Honduras on the morning of the 28th, and return to Taiwan on the evening of the 30th, spending a total of six days and five nights abroad.
Vice Minister Yui stated that the primary goal of the vice president's visit to Honduras is to represent President Tsai at President Castro's inauguration and related activities, including a reception for President Castro and a state banquet. The vice minister also said that a meeting will be arranged between Vice President Lai and President Castro to exchange views on bilateral and international issues of mutual concern.
Vice Minister Yui further stated that promoting summit meetings and friendship between Taiwan's senior officials and those of our allies is central to our government's diplomatic work, as well as an important element of our strategy of steadfast diplomacy and bolstering relations with our diplomatic allies. This is the first trip to a diplomatic ally by Vice President Lai since his inauguration, and he will have a busy schedule, with the details of his itinerary currently in planning. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to work with other government agencies as well as with the Honduran government in order to ensure the success of the vice president's upcoming trip.