President Ma Ying-jeou is set to visit three of Taiwan’s allies in Central America and the Caribbean in July. The foreign ministry made the announcement on Monday.
President Ma’s trip will begin on July 11th and will include stops in the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Nicaragua. He will make transit stops in Boston and Los Angeles, and is scheduled to return to Taiwan on July 18.
The president will lead an 85-member delegation that will include Foreign Minister David Lin and National Security Council Secretary-General Kao Hua-chu, as well as other ministers, legislators, and representatives from the business sector.
Deputy Foreign Minister Simon Ko spoke on Monday about plans for the trip.
“The president will meet with the leaders of the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Nicaragua, and they will hold broad and substantive talks on matters of mutual and international interest," said Ko.
"We hope that the president’s visit can strengthen ties with these three allied nations," he said.
There have been reports that the president will also visit his alma mater – Harvard University – to give a speech when he transits in Boston.
But Deputy Foreign Minister Simon Ko said that the two sides are still working out the details of the president’s trip, and that more information will be provided when the time is ripe.