In a sign that Taiwan is becoming Albania's diplomatic pawn, the founder of the Association of Friendship between Albania and Taiwan has called on members to avoid any "political functions" in the organization.
In a press conference last Thursday, Neritan Ceka, the founder and honorary president of the Albania-Taiwan association, announced his resignation from his post, citing a shift in China's position toward Albania as the reason for his decision.
Beijing has "expressed the desire to become a serious economic partner with Albania," he said. Ceka, who is also a parliamentarian, called on other legislators and members of the association to withdraw their membership, saying the organization should be stripped of its political functions.
"This association can remain in the business of establishing trade relations with Taiwan, but free of any political stripes," he said.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently denied allegations that it was ready to swap US$1 billion in exchange for diplomatic recognition from Albania.
A Reuters report quoted Pellumb Shullazi, an Albanian legislator and deputy chairman of the association, as saying that Taiwan's envoy in Macedonia, Peter Cheng (
Albania, meanwhile, appears to be playing Taiwan against China in order to gain economic concessions from Beijing.
Albania's defense minister, Luan Hajdaraga, was in China when speculation about the cash-for-ties deal first broke in the news.
The Balkan state's president, Rexhep Meidani, is currently in Beijing at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Jiang Zemin (
Meidani departed for China over the weekend, saying he hopes to increase economic cooperation between Albania and China through Beijing's assistance in the economic restructuring of his nation, Xinhua reported.
Historically, Albania has maintained strong ties with China.
Beijing was one of the biggest aid donors to the Balkan state in the 1970s and Tirana actively assisted China in ousting the Republic of China from the UN in 1971.
But in the Kosovo crisis, in which more than half a million Kosovar Albanians were driven from their homeland, Beijing sided with Yugoslavia and strongly protested against NATO intervention.
Macedonia, Taiwan's only foothold in the Balkan region, established diplomatic relations with the island in January 1999.
To strengthen its presence in the region, Taiwan has offered US$300 million in aid to Kosovo for refugee relief and reconstruction.
So far, Taiwan has delivered an estimated US$4.5 million -- around US$2 million to US$3 million was disbursed through NGOs and US$2 million was spent donating buses to Kosovo.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS