Amid ongoing concerns over the shaky relationship with Saint Lucia, the government will look at the suitability of maintaining its embattled ambassador to the Caribbean country in his post, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.
Wu Chin-mu (吳進木), -director-general of the ministry’s Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs, said the ministry was “receptive” to whatever views a host government has about Taiwanese representatives to that country.
His comments were a departure from the ministry’s previous stance on friction between Ambassador Tom Chou (周台竹) and the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP), which regained power in November.
“We evaluate the suitability of ambassadors and officers stationed overseas regularly and alter their positions in a rotating system, based on length of service and eligibility. Personnel replacements will be made when necessary,” Wu said in response to media inquiries at a regular press briefing.
As to whether the ministry is considering replacing Chou, Wu said the ministry would look into the matter. The SLP has made many complaints against Chou over the years because of alleged interference in the country’s electoral process in favor of the United Workers Party (UWP).
After SLP leader Kenny Anthony was sworn in as prime minister early last month, the ministry said the SLP government had given its assurances that it would continue to maintain relations with Taiwan, as Chou and Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) held talks with Anthony on bilateral cooperation projects.
However, media in St Lucia continued to cast doubts on the relationship between the two countries. The latest report on Sunday quoted Saint Lucia Foreign Minister Alva Baptiste as saying that “within the next few weeks the new St Lucia government will make a definite decision as to whether it wants to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.”
Baptiste made the remarks after talks with Yang, who last week spent four days in the country, the second leg of his journey to attend swearing-in ceremonies for Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega yesterday, Guatemalan President Otto Perez on Jan. 14 and Gambian President Yahya J.J. Jammeh on Jan. 19.
“We have articulated our concerns to the Taiwanese foreign minister about the [behavior] of his ambassador during the tenure of the UWP administration, and indicated in no uncertain terms that Mr Chou was too deeply involved in the country’s political affairs,” Baptiste was quoted by local media as saying.
At the press briefing yesterday, Wu said the country’s relationships with Saint Lucia “remain strong.”
“After the election [in November], Anthony had publicly announced that he would maintain relations with Taiwan,” Wu said.
Following Yang’s visit, the relationship between Taiwan and Saint Lucia will continue its steady and fruitful development, Wu said.
Yang twice had cordial meetings with Anthony and had discussions with Governor-General Dame Pearlette Louisy, Saint Lucia’s head of state, as well as ministers in charge of foreign affairs, commerce, tourism, agriculture, education and technology, establishing friendship with the SLP administration, Wu said.
Wu said that diplomatic relations with the 12 countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean that recognize the Republic of China (ROC) are “very stable,” dismissing speculation that some countries may switch ties to China after the elections on Saturday.
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
RSS