The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to give funding originally intended for the Solomon Islands and Kiribati to Taiwan’s remaining four Pacific allies, a diplomatic source said.
Taiwan cut diplomatic ties with the Solomon Islands and Kiribati on Monday and Friday, respectively, after the two countries switched allegiance to China.
Taiwan now has 15 diplomatic allies.
Photo: EPA-EFE/Ritchie B. Tongo
The source, who asked to remain anonymous, last week said that the ministry had sent its budget proposal for next year to the Legislative Yuan in late August and is awaiting lawmakers’ approval.
Asked about the budget originally earmarked for the two countries, the source said the money is expected to be used to solidify ties with Taiwan’s remaining Pacific allies, but did not disclose the exact amount to be reallocated.
Taiwan still has four Pacific allies: the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu.
Nauru and Tuvalu have just elected new political leaders, while Palau and the Marshall Islands are soon to hold general elections, the source said.
A major shift in power could affect their relationship with Taiwan, the source said, adding that the ministry needs all the resources it has to solidify ties with the four.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Friday said that ties with the remaining Pacific allies are very close and he sees no reason to worry.
The ministry’s budget proposal for next year stands at NT$28.2 billion (US$910 million), a NT$2.2 billion increase from a year earlier.
The increase is mainly to be used for foreign aid projects in response to Beijing’s campaign to lure Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, the ministry said.
The budget is to be used to provide assistance to diplomatic allies through bilateral cooperation projects that boost construction of infrastructure, and education and training programs, it said.
Taiwan has lost seven diplomatic allies to China since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) assumed office in May 2016.
Beijing has taken a hardline stance on cross-strait relations since Tsai refused to accept the so-called “1992 consensus.”
The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
However, Beijing has never publicly recognized the second part of the consensus.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman