Taiwan’s Vice-President-elect William Lai is on his way to Washington DC. Lai’s office says he will attend the National Prayer Breakfast -- an annual event held by Congress and the religious group the Fellowship Foundation.
The VP-elect’s office says that the trip is personal in nature. During his time in the US, Lai will visit think tanks and meet with overseas Taiwanese. He will then make a short layover in New York before returning to Taiwan on February 9. Former legislator Hsiao Bi-khim is joining Lai on the trip, prompting speculation that she will play an important role in the Tsai administration during the next four years.
The National Prayer Breakfast consists of a series of meetings and meals attended by foreign dignitaries, business leaders, and other prominent figures.
Lai is not the first Taiwanese politician to attend the event, but he’s thought to be the highest-level official to attend and to enter the US capitol since Taiwan and the US severed official diplomatic ties in 1979.