Banjul, Gambia, Dec. 20 (CNA) Vice President Annette Lu, at the head of a special Republic of China diplomatic delegation, arrived in Banjul Thursday to a red-carpet welcome by the Gambian government.
Lu and her entourage, which includes Vice Foreign Affairs Minister Chiu Jong-nan, flew via Paris to Gambia to attend on behalf of President Chen Shui-bian the inauguration of reelected Gambian President Yahya Jammeh slated for Friday.
Gambian Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy met Lu in person at the airport, where Lu and the ROC delegation were honored with a military salute.
Limousines escorted by a police motorcade then took them to their hotel from the airport. Huge crowds of local villagers and students welcomed the ROC guests by waving small flags and banners of the ROC on both sides of the road.
Lu met with President Jammeh in the evening to present him with a copy of her credentials regarding her current mission in Banjul. She said she is confident that bilateral relations between Gambia and Taiwan will be further bolstered under the leadership of Jammeh during his new term in office.
President Chen offered his personal felicitations to Jammeh on Oct. 22 upon the reelection of the Gambian president, who garnered an overwhelming 52.96 percent of the vote in the country's November presidential election.
To mark Jammeh's reelection and the unique way of voting in Gambia, namely the use of marbles as ballots, Lu presented Jammeh with a box of 1.5 million marbles as a gift. Lu said that Gambia's use of marbles to vote reflects "fairness and transparency" and democratic ways which she said should be emulated by other African countries.
During her stay in Gambia, Lu is expected to hold talks with Gambian leaders as well as inspect the ROC Embassy and agricultural projects being implemented under cooperation agreements between the two countries.