Chen laid a floral wreath in the center of the capital San Salvador in memory of earthquake victims and then visited a small settlement where a Buddhist foundation is building 340 homes for families who lost their homes. On Friday, a summit meeting in San Salvador will bring Chen together with presidents from across Central America and from the Dominican Republic, which also recognizes Taiwan as a country.
China considers Taiwan a renegade province.
The summit meeting is expected to focus on bilateral cooperation between Taiwan and its allies in the region. While the exact amount of its aid to Central America is hard to ascertain, Taiwan has been generous toward its diplomatic allies in the form of soft loans and donations. After Hurricane Mitch killed more than 10,000 people in 1998, Taiwan made hefty donations to El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala, which were all hit by the hurricane. All rights reserved.