Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

During his visit, Vice President Lai had two meetings with President Castro and hosted a banquet for the first and second Honduran vice presidents. In addition to conveying sincere congratulations from President Tsai and the people of Taiwan, Vice President Lai exchanged views on matters of mutual concern with the Honduran leaders, and reiterated the Taiwan government's full support for the new Honduran administration. President Castro recalled with gratitude Taiwan's many years of assistance to Honduras, and, both during her meetings with Vice President Lai and in subsequent comments to the media, emphasized her intention to continue deepening friendly bilateral ties.

The vice president's charter flight for this trip also carried disease prevention supplies urgently needed in Honduras. President Castro expressed her appreciation for these supplies, the donation of which demonstrated the spirit of "Taiwan can Help," as well as our support for the Honduran government. This donation also helped show the international community that Taiwan has the ability and the desire to make substantial contributions to the world.

Vice President Lai strengthened Taiwan's international participation through his attendance at the inauguration ceremony and surrounding events, holding meetings and engaging in exchanges with heads and deputy heads of state, including Belize Prime Minister John Briceño and US Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as delegation representatives from allies and other friendly nations.

• First US transits by a high-level Taiwanese official during the Biden administration bolstered Taiwan-US ties
• These were the first US transits by a high-level Taiwanese official since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic over two years ago, as well as the first since US President Joe Biden took office. Even while dealing with the spread of the Omicron variant, the US provided the Taiwanese delegation with a high standard of security and courtesy, consistent with the principle under which it has ensured the safety, comfort, convenience, and dignity of high-level Taiwanese officials and delegations during past visits. Following established precedent, the US government arranged for American Institute in Taiwan Chairman James F. Moriarty to accompany the delegation throughout its itinerary in the US, including its arrival in and departure from both Los Angeles and San Francisco, reflecting the importance the US places on its relationship with Taiwan.
• The US publicly affirmed the Taiwan-US partnership in a diplomatic ally
• While attending the presidential inauguration in Honduras, Vice President Lai spontaneously interacted with US Vice President Harris, who referred to him in a subsequent press conference transcribed on the White House website as the "Vice President of Taiwan." In that press conference, Vice President Harris also explained the circumstances of her discussion with Vice President Lai, reflecting the friendly partnership between Taiwan and the US.
• Interactions with record number of US congresspeople highlighted staunch bipartisan support for Taiwan
• During his US transit stops, Vice President Lai held videoconferences with 19 members of US Congress, who are: Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy), Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) ; Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. John Curtis (R-UT), Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT), Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI), Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA, Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee), Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Rep. Young Kim (R-CA), Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA), Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA), and for a total of 10 Democrats and 9 Republicans among 2 senators and 17 representatives. This was a record number of congresspeople to participate in meetings during such a trip, demonstrating broad bipartisan support in US Congress for Taiwan-US ties.
• Vice President Lai's exchanges with national and local political leaders in the US maintained diversified channels for Taiwan-US communication
• Vice President Lai interacted with a number of high-ranking officials, including Los Angeles Mayor and US Ambassador-designate to India Eric Garcetti, and former Trump administration officials such as White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, Deputy National Security Advisor Matt Pottinger, and National Security Council Director for China Matt Turpin.

In Honduras, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, Vice President Lai received an enthusiastic welcome from local members of our overseas community throughout his trip. Although banquets with community members in Los Angeles and San Francisco were cancelled due to the pandemic and replaced by videoconferences, many overseas community members came of their own accord to the delegation's hotels and took out media advertisements to welcome Vice President Lai, showing their deep affection and staunch support for Taiwan. During meetings at each stop, Vice President Lai relayed President Tsai and Taiwan's best wishes to the members of our overseas community, and expressed his appreciation to our diplomatic personnel stationed overseas for their hard work on behalf of our nation, encouraging them to keep up their efforts in support of Taiwan's diplomatic initiatives.