Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials' difficulties in participating in the annual Liberal International (LI) congress was more evidence that China is blocking Taiwan's international space, Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), the director of the party's Department of International Affairs, said yesterday.
In a news conference yesterday afternoon, Hsiao denounced China's suppression of the DPP's attendance at LI's annual congress in Bulgaria last week.
According to Hsiao, Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun was to have represented Taiwan and the DPP at the congress, held from May 12 to May 14.
However, because of Beijing's pressure, Yu could not make the trip to Bulgaria.
Therefore, DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (
She was accompanied by the director of the DPP's Department of Woman's Development, Hsu Chia-ching (
All three were forbidden from using their titles as DPP officials when applying for their Bulgarian visas, Hsiao said.
She said they were also followed throughout their visit to Bulgaria by two unidentified persons sent by the Chinese embassy in Sofia.
These two people even tried to physically block her from attending the LI congress, she said.
Hsiao was elected as LI's vice president during the congress -- an event she described as the biggest accomplishment of her participation in the congress.
Liberal International is a federation of liberal political parties from around the world. It was established in 1947.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation
RSS