Nauru will retain long-standing ties with Taiwan, Nauruan President Lionel Aingimea said yesterday, a welcome boost for Taipei after two Pacific states switched diplomatic recognition to China this month.
The small developing nations lie in strategic Pacific waters dominated by the US and its allies since World War II, where Beijing’s moves to expand its influence have angered Washington.
“Nauru considers its relationship with Taiwan as that of family and we stand with Taiwan,” Aingimea said in an e-mail, dispelling fears of a switch after he defeated his predecessor, Baron Waqa, in last month’s election.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Taiwan cut diplomatic ties with the Solomon Islands and Kiribati on Monday and Friday last week respectively after they switched allegiance to Beijing.
That leaves Taiwan with 15 diplomatic allies — many of which are small, less developed nations in Central America and the Pacific, including Belize and Nauru.
Seven nations have dropped Taiwan as a diplomatic ally since 2016, though the support of Nauru should stem the tide, at least for now.
“The former president of Nauru was famous for being the best friend of Taiwan, going as far as to serenade the president of Taiwan with You’re My Best Friend,” said Jonathan Pryke of Australia’s Lowy Institute think tank.
“The new president was a wild card,” he said. “This announcement means Taiwan can take a breath, but it is clear that they need to be very diligent in the Pacific.”
In related news, the Marshallese legislature has passed a unanimous resolution to give firm support to its diplomatic alliance with Taiwan, Marshallese President Hilda Heine told President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Wednesday.
Heine telephoned Tsai to tell her about the resolution — passed on Sept. 17 — that her country would firmly support the Taiwan-Marshall Islands diplomatic alliance and Taiwan’s right to have fair access to international activities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said.
Heine also reiterated her government’s determination to maintain the friendship, said Ou, who conveyed the ministry’s thanks to the Marshallese president and legislature for their support and friendship.
Taiwan will continue to deepen its cooperation with the central Pacific nation, Ou added.
The coast guard drove away 567 Chinese boats and seized seven illegally operating in Taiwanese waters in the first six months of this year, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. They mostly operated near Kinmen and Penghu counties, resulting in fines totaling NT$1.7 million (US$52,440), it said. Three ships — two near Kinmen County and one near Penghu County — were detained in January for illegally crossing the border, while one ship each was detained near Kinmen in February and Penghu in March respectively, it said. The ship seized near Penghu in January was the Yun Ao (雲澳), detained by the CGA’s
Military photovoltaic projects have been found to have used Chinese-made devices blacklisted by the government, including Huawei Technologies Co routers, the Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau said on Thursday. An ongoing investigation has identified the illegal use of 128 current transformers, two routers and a data reader at the Hungchailin Army Base, Pinghai Navy Base and Tri-Service General Hospital’s Songshan branch, it said. The devices were manufactured in the Chinese factories of German solar energy equipment supplier SMA Solar Technology, Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Delta Electronics Co, Chinese electronics manufacturer Huawei and Taiwanese industrial PC maker Advantech Co, the bureau said. The bureau’s
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
Beijing’s recent provocative actions against the Philippines in the South China Sea were partly meant as a “dress rehearsal” for the invasion of Taiwan, former US deputy national security advisor Matt Pottinger said at a Heritage Foundation forum in Washington on Tuesday. Beijing’s blocking of a Philippine resupply mission on June 17 with unprecedented violence had multiple implications. “What they’re doing is trying to demonstrate that they can blockade, create a sense of futility and discredit the idea that the United States is going to help not only the Philippines, but by extension Taiwan,” Pottinger said. Pottinger was referring to a clash