The Legislative Yuan has established friendship associations with lawmakers in Latin America and Africa as part of the nation’s efforts to bolster ties with diplomatic allies and nations friendly to Taiwan.
The two associations have been set up to promote deeper exchanges between Taiwanese lawmakers and their counterparts Latin America and Africa, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉), who spearheaded the initiative, said at the inaugural meeting in Taipei yesterday.
A cross-party effort, the Taiwan-Central and South American and Caribbean Countries Parliamentary Friendship Association has 30 Taiwanese legislative members, while the Taiwan-African Countries Parliamentary Friendship Association has 46, Chiu said, adding that the goal is to have more than half of the Legislative Yuan join both groups.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
Despite the distance that separates Taiwan from allies and friends in Latin America and Africa, the bond between Taiwan and those nations is strong, as they share the same values, such as democracy, freedom and hospitality, he said.
The inauguration is only the beginning, as plenty of work still needs to be done, he added.
A time frame for responsibilities would be drawn up to enhance bilateral relations between Taiwan and each of these nations in a practical manner, he said.
“We value every nation,” Chiu said.
Lauding the founding of the associations, Nicaraguan Ambassador William Manuel Tapia Aleman, who is the dean of the foreign diplomatic corps in Taiwan, said he believed the associations would benefit Taiwan’s foreign relations.
Taiwan has made major contributions in the international arena amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Tapia said, citing Taiwan’s provision of disease prevention aid to Nicaragua, the first nation in the world to do so.
Taiwan has done a “wonderful job” in providing disease prevention assistance, he said, adding that ambassadors and representatives from other nations probably share the sentiment.
The establishment of the associations is a starting point for a new round of international networking, he said, adding that he hoped Taiwanese missions can visit more regions and nations after the pandemic is over.
Except for Honduras, all the ambassadors of Taiwan’s allies in Central and South America attended the inauguration: Tapia, Saint Kitts and Nevis Ambassador Jasmine Elise Huggins, Paraguayan Ambassador Marcial Bobadilla Guillen, Haitian Ambassador Rachel Coupaud, Belizean Ambassador Diane C. Haylock, Saint Lucia Ambassador Edwin Laurent, Guatemalan Ambassador Willy Alberto Gomez Tirado, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman.
Attendees from Africa were Lindiwe Kunene, an official from the Embassy of the Kingdom of Eswatini, as well as South African Representative to Taiwan Robert Seraki Matsebe.
DPP legislators Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) and Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) were also present, while Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Tsao (曹立傑) delivered an address.
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union yesterday vowed to protest at the EVA Air Marathon on Sunday next week should EVA Airway Corp’s management continue to ignore the union’s petition to change rules on employees’ leave of absence system, after a flight attendant reportedly died after working on a long-haul flight while ill. The case has generated public discussion over whether taking personal or sick leave should affect a worker’s performance review. Several union members yesterday protested at the Legislative Yuan, holding white flowers and placards, while shouting: “Life is priceless; requesting leave is not a crime.” “The union is scheduled to meet with
‘UNITED FRONT’ RHETORIC: China’s TAO also plans to hold weekly, instead of biweekly, news conferences because it wants to control the cross-strait discourse, an expert said China’s plan to expand its single-entry visa-on-arrival service to Taiwanese would be of limited interest to Taiwanese and is a feeble attempt by Chinese administrators to demonstrate that they are doing something, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said the program aims to facilitate travel to China for Taiwanese compatriots, regardless of whether they are arriving via direct flights or are entering mainland China through Hong Kong, Macau or other countries, and they would be able to apply for a single-entry visa-on-arrival at all eligible entry points in China. The policy aims
COUNTERMEASURE: Taiwan was to implement controls for 47 tech products bound for South Africa after the latter downgraded and renamed Taipei’s ‘de facto’ offices The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is still reviewing a new agreement proposed by the South African government last month to regulate the status of reciprocal representative offices, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. Asked about the latest developments in a year-long controversy over Taiwan’s de facto representative office in South Africa, Lin during a legislative session said that the ministry was consulting with legal experts on the proposed new agreement. While the new proposal offers Taiwan greater flexibility, the ministry does not find it acceptable, Lin said without elaborating. The ministry is still open to resuming retaliatory measures against South
RSS