Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) was met by American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chair Laura Rosenberger and Taiwan's representative to Washington Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during his stopover in San Francisco. Lai, who just finished his diplomatic trip to Paraguay, arrived on Wednesday local time on his way back to Taiwan.
Lai later thanked Rosenberger and Hsiao for welcoming him at the airport in a Facebook post. He said that it was heartwarming to see them again. He also expressed that he looked forward to meeting fellow Taiwanese expatriates during his brief stay.
Lai’s 9 hour stopover in San Francisco is part of the return leg for his seven-day diplomatic trip. The Vice President visited Paraguay as President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) special envoy on August 15 where he attended President Santiago Peña’s inauguration ceremony.
Paraguay is Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in South America.