508 foreign dignitaries to attend Lai's inauguration: MOFA

Taipei, May 17 (CNA) A total of 51 groups comprising 508 foreign dignitaries will attend the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and related activities on May 20, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement released on Friday.

Among them, 12 groups are from countries with which the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan's formal name, has diplomatic relations, MOFA said, noting that the Holy See, Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in Europe, will send a special envoy to attend the ceremony.

The ministry said Eswatini King Mswati III, President of the Marshall Islands Hilda Heine, Palauan President Surangel Whipps, Jr., and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña Palacios will all attend the May 20 event.

Despite not having formal ties with the ROC, the attendees will also include congratulatory groups from the United States, Canada and Singapore, members of the European Parliament's Taiwan Friendship Group, as well as lawmakers from the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia and South Korea, MOFA said.

According to the ministry, the dignitaries will attend a banquet given by outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and a welcoming party hosted by MOFA at the Taipei Guest House on May 19.

On May 20, they will attend Lai's inauguration ceremony in the morning and a state banquet later that day at the Formosa Yacht Resort in Tainan, MOFA said.