Taiwan does not need Beijing’s opinions on its partnerships with other countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday amid protests from China and Somalia over Taiwan’s decision to exchange representative offices with Somaliland.
China firmly objects to Taiwan and Somaliland establishing official agencies, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) said on Monday, adding that the Democratic Progressive Party administration is acting like “a drowning person clutching at straws.”
Zhao praised Somalian President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo’s statement on Saturday denouncing “Taiwan’s violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia,” and reaffirming Mogadishu’s respect for the “one China” policy.
Taiwan is not part of the People’s Republic of China, which has never ruled Taiwan for a single day, MOFA spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) told a news briefing in Taipei yesterday, when asked about the remarks.
As a responsible stakeholder in the global community, Taiwan and its people have been making contributions to the world through varying means, and it is glad to develop partnerships with any other country that pursues democracy and peace, and it does not need the opinions of the Chinese government, she said.
Somaliland is important due to its location near the Gulf of Aden, and its rich fisheries, energy and mining resources, Ou said.
Taiwan and Somaliland are like-minded countries that advocate democracy and freedom, and the government would continue to promote bilateral collaboration based on the spirit of pragmatic diplomacy, she said.
Chinese Ambassador to Somalia Qin Jian (覃儉) visited Somaliland twice this year to try to convince its government not to move ahead with ties to Taiwan, the Somaliland Chronicle reported on Sunday.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
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