Taiwan delegation departs for U.S. ahead of Trump inauguration

Taipei, Jan. 18 (CNA) A delegation of cross-party lawmakers led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) departed Taiwan Saturday for the United States ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

The event on Jan. 20, originally set to be held outdoors, will now be held inside at the Capitol Rotunda, as freezing weather is expected.

In a statement, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said the indoor venue will only accommodate a limited number of attendees, including members of Congress, senior government officials and Trump's family.

Therefore, many international guests set to attend the inauguration ceremony, including the Taiwan delegation, will now be unable to go to the event, MOFA said.

However, the rest of the delegation's itinerary will remain the same. This includes meetings with members of Congress, other politicians and scholars from think tanks, according to MOFA.

Before leaving for the U.S., Han told reporters at the Taoyuan International Airport that his delegation will convey their best wishes to the incoming U.S. president and vice president, on behalf of Taiwan's 23 million people.

In addition to Han of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), the delegation also includes lawmakers Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) and Kuo Yu-ching (郭昱晴) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party; Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), 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 smaller opposition Taiwan People's Party.

While in the U.S., the Taiwan delegation will interact with various U.S. lawmakers and engage in exchanges with think tanks to discuss the current global situation, as well as Taiwan-U.S. relations, MOFA said.

The delegation is scheduled to return to Taiwan on Jan. 24, the ministry added.

The ministry said it has "no further comment" when asked by CNA about the contingency plan given that the Taiwan delegation will no longer attend the inauguration.