Former President Tsai adds U.K. to European travel itinerary

Taipei, May 12 (CNA) Taiwan's former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) will visit the United Kingdom during her ongoing European trip, which originally included only Lithuania and Denmark, her office said Monday.

Tsai departed Taiwan for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark, marking her second visit to the continent since her two-term presidency ended last May.

On Monday, her office issued a statement, saying that Tsai will also visit the U.K. "for a few days," during which she will meet with U.K. politicians and Taiwanese professionals and visit academic and research institutions.

Following Tsai's stop in Denmark, she will visit the U.K. at the "invitation of friends in the U.K. parliament," to further enhance the cordial relations between Taiwan and the U.K., the office said.

It did not explain why the U.K. was not included in the original release of the itinerary for Tsai's European trip.

The statement on Tsai's revised travel plans was issued after the Japanese news magazine Nikkei Asia reported earlier Monday that the former president would also visit the U.K. during her current European trip.

Last year, the British newspaper the Guardian reported that Tsai would visit the U.K. in October 2024 as part of her first international tour after her presidency ended in May that year.

The trip was canceled, however, since then Foreign Secretary David Lammy was about to make a "goodwill visit" to China, the newspaper said, citing a source involved in the discussions.

Tsai's office did not confirm the Guardian report.

On Saturday, Tsai arrived in Lithuania on the first leg of her current trip to Europe.

While in Lithuania, the former president is scheduled to deliver a speech at Vilnius University and meet with former Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė, who was in office from 2009-2019.

After 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.

It is Tsai's second visit to Europe since she left office last May, following a trip to the Czech Republic, France and Belgium in October 2024.