Taiwan's "Tsai Ing-wen to Visit New York and LA" ... Expected Meeting with Speaker of the House

Transit during Central America visit... China expected to oppose
Ma Ying-jeou visits China ahead of January presidential election next year

The Taiwanese government has formalized President Tsai Ing-wen's schedule for her visit to the United States. President Tsai is expected to visit two Central American countries and transit through the U.S., where she will likely meet with the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Office of the President of Taiwan announced on the 21st that President Tsai will visit Guatemala and Belize in Central America for a 9-night, 10-day trip starting on the 29th of this month under the theme "Partners of Democracy, Journey of Public Good," transiting through New York and Los Angeles (LA) in the United States. President Tsai will transit through New York on the 30th, then arrive in Guatemala on April 1. She will then visit Belize on the 3rd, LA on the 5th, and return to Taiwan on the 7th.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Although the detailed schedule has not yet been disclosed, President Tsai may deliver a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Southern California, invited by the Ronald Reagan Foundation and Institute. It is also reported that she is likely to meet with Kevin McCarthy, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, at this event.

With the presidential and legislative elections scheduled for January next year, China is expected to strongly oppose this move by Taiwan’s president, citing the "One China" principle. Although President Tsai, who has been in power for eight years, will not run in the upcoming legislative election due to term limits, cross-strait relations are still expected to remain a major issue.

Meanwhile, former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou is scheduled to visit China earlier this month. He will be the first among former and current Taiwanese presidents to visit China. According to major foreign media, he plans to visit Nanjing, Wuhan, Changsha, Chongqing, and Shanghai from the 27th of this month to the 7th of next month. However, it has not been disclosed whether he will meet with Chinese officials or leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, during his visit. The Kuomintang, to which former President Ma belongs, is pro-China and has maintained closer ties with China compared to the Democratic Progressive Party.