President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday morning met a delegation led by Paraguayan Senate President Silvio Adalberto Ovelar Benitez and thanked the South American country for supporting Taiwan on various international occasions.
Members of the delegation also include Second Vice President of the Chamber of Senators Hermelinda Alvarenga de Ortega and Senator Pedro Alejandro Diaz.
Tsai first thanked the Paraguayan government and its bicameral Congress for conveying their condolences after the massive earthquake that struck the nation on April 3.
Photo: Makoto Lin, EPA-EFE
Tsai said that since she first took office in 2016, relations between Taiwan and Paraguay have deepened in every aspect — from education to medical care, agriculture and women’s rights.
The two countries have jointly established Taiwan Polytechnic University Paraguay to develop talent in the high-tech industry, she added.
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena Palacios and his administration have been supportive of Taiwan by frequently speaking for the country on various international occasions, which is important as it enables Taiwan to participate in the global community.
Photo: Screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Web site
“We hope that members of the delegation will continue supporting Taiwan and facilitate exchanges of all levels between the two countries, and that this mutual support will serve as a model for democracies around the world,” she said.
Ovelar said that Paraguay’s firm support for Taiwan remains unchanged.
“President Pena has expressed staunch support for Taiwan in various international events not because of the bilateral relationship and partnerships in education and technology; it is a sincere and profound bond between the two countries,” he said.
The percentage of women participating in society in Paraguay is getting higher, Ovelar said, adding that there would soon be a female president in the country.
Ovelar reiterated the Paraguayan government’s unwavering position toward Taiwan when he met with president-elect William Lai (賴清德).
Lai said Pena and his government have taken actions to firmly support Taiwan’s international participation.
“They have spoken up for Taiwan in the general debate of the UN General Assembly, the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the International Criminal Police Organization Conference and the World Health Organization Executive Committee and other occasions,” he said.
Lai invited Pena, Ovelar and members of the delegation to attend his inauguration ceremony on May 20.
“Taiwan is willing to continue to deepen its friendship and cooperation with Paraguay,” Lai said, describing it as a friendship between “two brotherly states.”
By working together, “we can safeguard the democratic, free way of life, face challenges with confidence and jointly bring prosperity to both countries,” he added.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
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