Taiwanese media have been reporting on the significance of President Tsai Ing-wen’s trip to Panama on Saturday. In particular, they say it may be the first time a president from Taiwan has taken off in Miami and flown directly over Cuban air space.
A Presidential Office spokesman, Alex Huang, responded to the reports on Sunday saying that the flight route was chosen by the national airline – China Airlines – which ran the chartered flight.
Tsai’s nine day, eight night trip – her first in office – will take her to Panama and Paraguay before she returns to Taiwan on July 2.