Parliament speaker to lead Taiwan delegation to Trump's inauguration

15/1/2025 18:17

A delegation of Taiwanese lawmakers led by parliament's speaker will attend Donald Trump's inauguration as U.S. president, the presidential office said on Wednesday, adding the government will continue boosting ties with the new administration.



Taiwan enjoyed strong support from the first Trump administration, including regularising arms sales which have continued under President Joe Biden, but Trump unnerved Taiwan on the campaign trail by calling for it to have to pay to be defended.



Taiwan's presidential office said that parliament speaker Han Kuo-yu, a senior member of the opposition Kuomintang party and who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020, would lead the group to the inauguration, accompanied by a cross-party delegation of seven other lawmakers.



Leaving on Saturday for the Monday ceremony, the group will meet U.S. dignitaries, think-tanks and academics, Taiwan's presidential office said, without giving details.



"Taiwan-U.S. relations have a long history, and the two sides have made significant progress in recent years," it said in a statement.