Ex-President Tsai departs for Europe in hopes of deepening ties

Taipei, May 10 (CNA) Former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark, marking her second visit to the continent since leaving office last May.

Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak with reporters before departure.

In a later social media post, Tsai said the purpose of her trip was to reaffirm the commitment of the Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, uphold freedom and democracy, and defend their homeland.

She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage.

According to Tsai's office, the former president will first arrive in Lithuania, where she will deliver a speech at Vilnius University and speak with former Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė, who was in office from 2009 to 2019.

After concluding her visit to the Baltic nation, Tsai will travel to Denmark to speak at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, which will be held in the Danish capital from May 13-14.

This trip marks Tsai's second visit to Europe after leaving office last May, after completing two four-year terms. She visited the Czech Republic, France and Belgium in October 2024.

It remains unclear, however, how long Tsai will stay in Europe and who will accompany her, as her office did not respond to CNA's request for further information.