Taiwan yesterday said its relationship with the Vatican is stable, although it would closely watch what it described as “suppression” by China following a landmark deal between Beijing and the Vatican on the appointment of bishops on China.
The Vatican has signed an agreement giving it a long-desired say in the appointment of bishops in China, triggering worries among some officials in Taiwan that the Vatican could switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing.
The Holy See is the nation’s last remaining diplomatic ally in Europe.
“We will closely watch the suppression and calculations from China,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) told reporters in response to comments from Beijing that it wanted to deepen ties with the Vatican.
“The Taiwan-Vatican relations are stable,” he said, adding that Taiwan has been assisting the Vatican in renovating its embassy in Taipei, the Apostolic Nunciature on Aiguo E Road, using that as an example of the stable ties.
Critics have labeled the Vatican accord with China as a sellout to the Communist government, with Cardinal Jospeh Zen (陳日君), the former archbishop of Hong Kong, describing it as “an incredible betrayal.”
Since the deal was signed on Saturday last week, the Vatican has not mentioned Taiwan.
On Wednesday, Pope Francis urged China’s leaders to move ahead with “trust, courage and farsightedness” and called on Chinese Catholics to not shrink from offering “a word of criticism” when necessary to defend human dignity.
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
STAY VIGILANT: When experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, such as dizziness or fatigue, near a water heater, open windows and doors to ventilate the area Rooftop flue water heaters should only be installed outdoors or in properly ventilated areas to prevent toxic gas from building up, the Yilan County Fire Department said, after a man in Taipei died of carbon monoxide poisoning on Monday last week. The 39-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), an assistant professor at Providence University in Taichung, was at his Taipei home for the holidays when the incident occurred, news reports said. He was taking a shower in the bathroom of a rooftop addition when carbon monoxide — a poisonous byproduct of combustion — leaked from a water heater installed in a poorly ventilated
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