President Ma Ying-jeou has designated Premier Jiang Yi-huah to serve as the nation's special envoy to attend the June 1 inauguration ceremony of President-elect Salvador Sanchez Ceren and Vice-President-elect Oscar Ortiz of the Republic of El Salvador.
The special delegation will convey the heartiest congratulations of the Republic of China's (ROC) government and people to the Republic of El Salvador while consolidating the ROC's long-lasting friendship with this Central American ally.
This diplomatic trip has been named "Hong Yi," which bears great significance as it means augmenting friendship between Taiwan and El Salvador. The delegation will leave Taipei at the wee hours May 30 and return to Taiwan the evening of June 4 (totaling six days and five nights) and will pass through Los Angeles of the United States on both its outbound and inbound flights.
On behalf of the government, Premier Jiang and the delegation will meet with ROC (Taiwanese) expatriates as well as overseas mission staff and their dependents in El Salvador and Los Angeles.
In El Salvador, besides attending the inauguration ceremony of the new president and vice president, Premier Jiang and his wife will also be guests at national banquets hosted by both the incumbent president and first lady and the new president and first lady. Additionally, they will have audiences with President-elect Sanchez Ceren, Vice-President-elect Ortiz and current First Lady Vanda Pignato to exchange views on cooperation on matters of concern to the two nations.
Members of the ROC delegation will include Premier Jiang and his wife; Minister Chen Shyh-kwei of the Overseas Community Affairs Council; Deputy Foreign Minister Simon Shen-yeaw Ko of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA); ROC Ambassador to El Salvador Andrea S.Y. Lee and his wife; Director Chao Lih-ching of the Office of the Premier; Director General Jaime H.T. Chen of MOFA's Department of Latin American and Carribean Affairs; and Deputy Secretary-General Morgan Chia-pao Chao of the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund.