Taiwan does not exclude the possibility of having formal diplomatic relations with countries that also have formal ties with China, regardless of Beijing’s stance, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said on Sunday.
There was speculation in 2012 that Honduras was attempting to have simultaneous diplomatic relations with Taiwan and China, an idea that then-minister of foreign affairs David Lin (林永樂) rejected.
Honduras severed formal ties with Taiwan on Sunday morning after establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration has taken a more practical approach to relations with like-minded countries since assuming government in 2016. Previous administrations took the position that the two sides could not “stand together” regarding their formal ties with other countries.
Taiwan is resisting China’s attempts to isolate the nation by becoming an important economic, cultural and technological partner of Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico, in the fields of economics, culture and technology, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yui (俞大?) told the Spanish-language online news outlet Infobae.
Taiwan would not ask other countries to sever diplomatic ties with China, but rather welcomes the idea of forming relations with both countries, Yui said.
Countries should consider whether Beijing’s Taiwan exclusion demand is reasonable, he added.
“We will not rule out any possibility,” Wu said when asked on Sunday whether the ministry encourages dual recognition.
If any country wants to bolster relations with Taiwan, whether in politics, diplomacy, culture or trade, Taipei would not consider their relations with Beijing as a factor, he said.
China’s suppression of Taiwan’s global participation “is not just toward a political party or certain people, but a problem for our country,” Wu said.
The government is working to expand Taiwan’s “breathing room” internationally, such as with a group of Czech lawmakers visiting Taiwan this week, he added.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday said Wu’s remark would result in more diplomatic losses, as accepting dual recognition “creates ambiguity.”
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
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