Taipei, Nov. 3 (CNA) The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said Tuesday that former Vice President Annette Lu was forced to cancel her trip to Egypt last week due to Chinese pressure, after having received a visa issued by the Middle Eastern country. Lu was scheduled to attend the 56th congress of Liberal International in Cairo, Egypt on Oct. 30 and 31, but because of China's intervention, Lu was forced to cancel her trip, the DPP said in a statement.
It was the first time Lu had not been allowed to visit a foreign country since leaving office in May 2008.
The DPP said the Chinese move proved that Beijing would never stop squeezing Taiwan's international space. It also criticized President Ma Ying-jeou's "diplomatic truce" and his government's passive stance on helping Lu and trying to gain more international exposure for Taiwan.
The DPP said Lu was scheduled to transit in Bangkok and then head to Cairo on Oct. 27. But she was told by Egypt that she would not be allowed to enter the country.
The DPP said China's government pressured the Thai and Egyptian governments to reject Lu's visit, as they said top Chinese officials would soon visit those countries.
(By Wen Kuei-hsiang and Fanny Liu)
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