Han to lead 8-member delegation to Trump's inauguration

Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) A delegation of eight cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), will attend the inauguration of United States President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20, Taiwan's top diplomat said Thursday.

Han's delegation will comprise three lawmakers from each of the two major parties -- the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) -- and one from the smaller opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP), according to Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).

The delegation will depart for the U.S. on Jan. 18 for Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20 and will stay until Jan. 24, according to the Legislature.

While Lin did not name the other members of Han's delegation, the Legislature had released five names last Saturday, saying the KMT speaker will be accompanied by lawmakers Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) and Chen Kuang-ting (陳冠廷) of the DPP, Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) and Ko Ju-chun (葛如鈞) of the KMT, and Chen Gau-Tzu (陳昭姿) of the TPP.

Since then, it has been decided that another two legislators -- one each from the DPP and KMT -- will be included in the delegation, Lin said Thursday without naming them.

The list of delegates will be confirmed by the Legislature's USA Caucus, a group that promotes parliamentarian exchanges between Taiwan and the U.S., Lin said.

The cross-party delegation will extend congratulations to the new Trump administration, on behalf of the Taiwan government, he added.

On Wednesday, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) commented on the selection of the delegation members, saying that as part of his efforts to promote unity, he had invited Han, a senior member of the opposition KMT, to lead the official Taiwan delegation to Trump's inauguration.

Lai said it was part of his job as president to resolve partisan differences and push for a unified country in the interest of social stability and economic development.

In recent years, Taiwan's delegations to the inauguration ceremony of an American president-elect have been led by legislative speakers.

In 2009 and 2013, the delegations were led by then Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), while in 2017, then Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) headed the Taiwan delegation to Trump's first inauguration.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan did not send a delegation from Taipei to U.S. President Joe Biden's inauguration in January 2021 but was represented instead by its then top envoy to Washington Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), who is now vice president.