Former President Tsai returns to Taiwan after 9-day trip to Europe

Taipei, Oct. 20 (CNA) Former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) returned to Taiwan early Sunday, wrapping up her first post-presidential trip that included stops in the Czech Republic, France and Belgium.

Tsai arrived in Taiwan at 5:49 a.m. on China Airlines flight CI74. She did not take questions from reporters, except to briefly smile and nod when asked if she was satisfied with the trip's results.

During the Oct. 12-20 trip, Tsai delivered a speech at the "Forum 2000" conference in Prague, held meetings with European politicians and Taiwanese expats, and visited the European Parliament in Brussels -- a first for a former Republic of China (Taiwan) president.

In an Instagram post on Saturday morning, Tsai shared a video of her time in Brussels, while also praising Taiwan and Europe's shared values and their capacity to jointly take on global challenges.

"Whether it's combating global pandemics or expansionary authoritarianism, Taiwan will always stand together with Europe," she said in the post.

Taiwan has also proven how a free and democratic country can thrive, even as it faces "immense challenges and coercion from authoritarianism," Tsai said.

U.S. media reported last week that Tsai is also planning a trip to the United States in the coming weeks. Tsai's office has declined to comment, however, saying only that any overseas trip by Tsai would be announced in due course.