Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/15
By: Sophia Yeh and Ko Lin
San Francisco, Jan. 14 (CNA) The protest that took place outside the hotel where President Tsai Ing-wen
James Moriarty (right) greets President Tsai Ing-wen in San Francisco Friday
(蔡英文) stayed during her stopover in San Francisco on Saturday was normal in a democratic society, said American Institute in Taiwan Chairman James Moriarty, according to Tsai’s spokesman.
Tsai faced a protest by overseas Taiwanese as she left her hotel Saturday to attend a luncheon with people from the local Taiwanese community at the Hyatt Regency near San Francisco International Airport before heading back to Taiwan.
Addressing the protests on the chartered flight home, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) cited Moriarty as saying that everyone is entitled to their opinion, highlighting the flourishing democracy that the United States and Taiwan both enjoy.
The AIT head also had a positive outlook on the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, Huang said, adding that Moriarty, who also attended the luncheon, said his friendship with Tsai went way back. [FULL STORY]
