Incoming foreign minister David Lee said on Tuesday that whether President-elect Tsai Ing-wen will attend the inauguration of the Panama Canal expansion is still being discussed. Lin was answering reporters’ questions upon returning from a trip to Australia.
The Panama Canal Expansion ceremony will be held in June. About 70 heads of state have been officially invited to attend, including Tsai and President Xi Jinping of China. Taiwan has formal diplomatic ties with Panama, while China is the second-biggest user of the Panama Canal.
Reporters also asked Lee about Taiwan’s invitation to the World Health Assembly and the deportation of Taiwanese fraud suspects to China. Lee said these issues are complicated and cannot be explained in a brief comment. Lee said the matters will all be discussed after the new administration takes charge and he will explain the situation then.