Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Chih-chung (吳志中) yesterday said that Taiwan’s diplomatic ties with the Vatican are not a “zero-sum game,” welcoming dialogue between the Catholic city-state and China for the sake of promoting religious freedom.
“Taipei and the Holy See are diplomatic allies connected by the same values, sharing a consensus on many aspects, including religious freedom, democracy, human rights and humanitarian aid,” Wu said on the sidelines of the final day of a two-day forum titled “Direct Election of President and Taiwan’s Democratic Development in the Past 20 Years” in Taipei.
Wu said that, due to its mission to promote human rights and religious freedom, the Vatican is supposed to engage in dialogue with China, something that Taiwan is not only not opposed to, but also thinks is positive.
“This is not a zero-sum game. It does not mean that we have to sever ties [with a diplomatic ally] just because it starts getting close to others,” Wu said, urging the public to not interpret the matter as being purely black-and-white.
Asked about the status of Taiwan-Vatican relations, Wu said the ties have been and are expected to remain relatively stable, but acknowledged that might not last forever, as “many things are changing.”
Wu made the remarks one day after Vatican Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said in a speech in Pordenone, Italy, that there are many hopes and expectations for new developments and a new season in relations between China and the Vatican.
“[This] will benefit not just Catholics in the land of Confucius, but the whole country, which boasts one of the greatest civilizations on the planet,” Reuters quoted Parolin as saying.
Speculation over the possibility of the Holy See switching recognition from Taipei to Beijing has been growing, particularly after President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) inauguration on May 20.
Despite uncertainty surrounding Taiwan-Vatican relations, Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), who is Catholic, is on Friday scheduled to embark on a six-day visit to the Holy See, the nation’s only European diplomatic ally, to attend the canonization of Mother Teresa.
Wu, who is to be a member of Chen’s delegation, said the Vatican is not a country that puts national interests above all else and aims to push for religious freedom and the promotion of the Catholic faith.
“As far as the government is concerned, our priority is to maintain official diplomatic ties with the Vatican,” Wu said, adding that no changes would be made to Chen’s visit.
Earlier yesterday, the ministry also issued a statement saying that it has kept close tabs on interactions between China and the Vatican, and it reiterated that Taipei’s ties with the Holy See have a long history.
“For many years, high-level government officials from both sides have made frequent visits to each other’s nations. Intensive cooperation has also occurred between Taiwan and the city-state’s pontifical councils and Catholic charitable organizations,” the ministry said.
‘CROWN JEWEL’: Washington ‘can delay and deter’ Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plans for Taiwan, but it is ‘a very delicate situation there,’ the secretary of state said US President Donald Trump is opposed to any change to Taiwan’s “status quo” by force or extortion and would maintain that policy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Hugh Hewitt Show host on Wednesday. The US’ policy is to maintain Taiwan’s “status quo” and to oppose any changes in the situation by force or extortion, Rubio said. Hewitt asked Rubio about the significance of Trump earlier this month speaking with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) at the White House, a meeting that Hewitt described as a “big deal.” Asked whether the meeting was an indication of the
‘RELATIVELY STRONG LANGUAGE’: An expert said the state department has not softened its language on China and was ‘probably a little more Taiwan supportive’ China’s latest drills near Taiwan on Monday were “brazen and irresponsible threats,” a US Department of State spokesperson said on Tuesday, while reiterating Washington’s decades-long support of Taipei. “China cannot credibly claim to be a ‘force for stability in a turbulent world’ while issuing brazen and irresponsible threats toward Taiwan,” the unnamed spokesperson said in an e-mailed response to media queries. Washington’s enduring commitment to Taiwan will continue as it has for 45 years and the US “will continue to support Taiwan in the face of China’s military, economic, informational and diplomatic pressure campaign,” the e-mail said. “Alongside our international partners, we firmly
KAOHSIUNG CEREMONY: The contract chipmaker is planning to build 5 fabs in the southern city to gradually expand its 2-nanometer chip capacity Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday confirmed that it plans to hold a ceremony on March 31 to unveil a capacity expansion plan for its most advanced 2-nanometer chips in Kaohsiung, demonstrating its commitment to further investment at home. The ceremony is to be hosted by TSMC cochief operating officer Y.P. Chyn (秦永沛). It did not disclose whether Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and high-ranking government officials would attend the ceremony. More details are to be released next week, it said. The chipmaker’s latest move came after its announcement earlier this month of an additional US$100 billion
Authorities yesterday elaborated on the rules governing Employment Gold Cards after a US cardholder was barred from entering Taiwan for six years after working without a permit during a 2023 visit. American YouTuber LeLe Farley was barred after already being approved for an Employment Gold Card, he said in a video published on his channel on Saturday. Farley, who has more than 420,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, was approved for his Gold Card last month, but was told at a check-in counter at the Los Angeles International Airport that he could not enter Taiwan. That was because he previously participated in two
RSS