Vice President Annette Lu (
Lu received a red-carpet welcome complete with full military honors upon her arrival in the capital city of El Salvador for an official visit aimed at cementing diplomatic relations with the Central American ally and boosting bilateral trade and economic exchanges.
During a dinner with Taiwan expatriates in El Salvador, Lu said she is hopeful that Taiwan businessmen at home and in El Salvador can join forces to build an industrial park in El Salvador to accommodate Taiwan-funded firms, facilitating bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
PHOTO: CNA
Lu said the planned park should meet what she called the `Three P' goals, namely, the park should be "productive, environmentally protective and have perspective." Lu added that the park is expected to begin operation before the end of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) presidential term in May 2008.
Lu was to attend a meeting yesterday to discuss details regarding the planned park with Salvadoran officials and business representatives, as well as inspect the planned site of the park.
On the last day of her transit stop in Houston, Lu paid a visit to NASA headquarters, where she received courteous treatment befitting a visitor of her status. She was granted the privilege of entering the Mission Control Center -- NASA's nerve center.
PHOTO: PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE
NASA sent a Taiwanese-American astronaut, Edward Tsang Lu, to guide Lu on a tour of Mission Control. Lu was also welcomed onto the flight deck of a space shuttle to get a rare glimpse into the interior of the spacecraft. The vice president also invited Edward Tsang Lu to visit Taiwan to help inspire local youths' interest in space technology.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
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