A sister-city agreement between Greater Kaohsiung and the Maldivian capital, Male, was declared invalid by the Maldivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, one day after the pact was signed.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official in Taipei yesterday said it was the first time a local government’s efforts to establish sister-city ties with a foreign city had been thwarted due to apparent pressure from China.
The Greater Kaohsiung Government has not yet responded to the Maldivian statement, posted on the Web site of the Maldivian ministry, which said that the government of the Maldives “does not recognize the memorandum of understanding.”
Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung City
The government reaffirms its commitment and support to China’s national unity and to the “one China” policy, the statement said.
The Maldives’ firm belief in the “one China” policy is guided by the principles of respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of states and it considers Taiwan an integral part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the statement said.
China is a very important development partner for the Maldives and the government of the Maldives will continue to work with the PRC government to strengthen the close ties of friendship and cooperation that exist between the two countries, the statement said.
The signing ceremony was held on Sunday, just hours after a delegation of Greater Kaohsiung Government officials led by Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) arrived in Male for the four-day visit. The main purpose of trip was to sign the agreement.
The delegation is scheduled to return home tomorrow.
A Greater Kaohsiung Government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to reporters, said the idea for the sister-city link was proposed by Male Mayor Maizan Ali Maniku when he visited Greater Kaohsiung in November last year.
Ali Maniku and his delegation were interested in learning about Kaohsiung’s experience in promoting sustainable development, the official said.
Ali Maniku met with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) and they decided to become sister cities to forge a partnership on sustainable development, the official said. The two sides had discussions that led to the signing of the agreement covering urban infrastructure, tourism, the environment and the social and cultural arenas, she said.
Greater Kaohsiung was the first city in the nation to become a formal municipal member of Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), which was founded in 1990 as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.
The ICLEI designated Greater Kaohsiung as one of its seven mentor cities in May last year in recognition of its achievements in promoting sustainable development.
At last year’s ICLEI World Congress, Greater Kaohsiung was assigned to mentor Male and help it facilitate sustainability.
A press release from the Greater Kaohsiung Government said the delegation had shared with its hosts the city’s experience in drainage pipeline network management, waste disposal, offshore submerged breakwaters, plant diseases and pest control, and solar power development. The delegation also conducted a field study of Male’s construction of a rainwater sewer system, erosion-prone sea embankment and how it deals with waste disposal and processes raw kitchen waste, the press release said.
Male would have been Greater Kaohsiung’s 28th sister city and Kaohsiung would have been Male’s second.
CIVIL DEFENSE: More reservists in alternative service would help establish a sound civil defense system for use in wartime and during natural disasters, Kuma Academy’s CEO said While a total of 120,000 reservists are expected to be called up for alternative reserve drills this year, compared with the 6,505 drilled last year, the number has been revised to 58,000 due to a postponed training date, Deputy Minster of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said. In principle, the ministry still aims to call up 120,000 reservists for alternative reserve drills next year, he said, but the actual number would not be decided later until after this year’s evaluation. The increase follows a Legislative Yuan request that the Ministry of the Interior address low recruitment rates, which it made while reviewing
DETERRENCE: Along with US$500 million in military aid and up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees, the bill would allocate US$400 million to countering PRC influence The US House of Representatives on Friday approved an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025 that includes US$500 million in military aid for Taiwan. The legislation, which authorizes funding for the US Department of State, US foreign operations and related programs for next year, passed 212-200 in the Republican-led House. The bill stipulates that the US would provide no less than US$500 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan to enhance deterrence across the Taiwan Strait, and offer Taipei up to US$2 billion in loans and loan guarantees for the same purpose. The funding would be made available under the US’ Foreign Military
WARNING: China has stepped up harassment of foreign vessels after its new regulation took effect last month, an official said, citing an incident in the Diaoyutai Islands The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday linked China’s seizure of a Taiwanese fishing vessel illegally operating in its territorial waters to Beijing’s new regulation authorizing the China Coast Guard to seize boats in waters it claims. Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing vessel operating near China’s coast close to Kinmen County late on Tuesday and took it to a Chinese port, the CGA said. The Penghu-registered squid fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 (大進滿88) was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard east-northeast of Liaoluo Bay (料羅灣), 17.5 nautical miles (32.4km) from Taiwan’s restricted waters off Kinmen,
As eight basketball-playing international students appealed to the Taiwanese basketball industry after they were excluded from the draft of an upcoming new league merging the P.League+ and the T1 League, the new league’s preparatory committee spokesperson Chang Shu-jen (張樹人) yesterday said the committee would tomorrow discuss the supplementary measures and whether the international students can join the draft. The students on Tuesday called for support on their right to play in the upcoming new league, after a merger involving the two leagues impacted their eligibility for the draft. The international players from the University Basketball Association (UBA), led by first pick prospect