The leaders of Saint Lucia and Tuvalu, two of the 13 countries that formally recognize the Republic of China (ROC), voiced their support Friday for Taiwan’s inclusion in the United Nations and its participation in international organizations.
In an address during the General Debate of this year’s General Assembly, Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip Joseph Pierre said the people of the ROC on Taiwan should be allowed to continue their right to self-determination and exercise “their democratic freedoms without threats to the autonomy and with a place in the international forum.”
Prime Minister Kausea Natano of Tuvalu, meanwhile, called for the UN to ensure the participation of everyone worldwide, including the people of Taiwan.
Photo: Reuters
“We must make the necessary arrangement for Taiwan to meaningfully participate in relevant UN specialized agencies and mechanisms,” Natano said.
Such an arrangement was necessary, he said, because “Taiwan is widely known for being an able, trustworthy and willing partner greatly contributing to collective efforts that address pressing global issues under the purview of these UN agencies.”
Ariel Henry, prime minister of Haiti, another of Taiwan’s formal diplomatic allies, focused on the continuing unrest in his country in his address to the world governing body Friday and did not touch on Taiwan again this year.
Photo: Reuters
He appealed for international support to combat rampant gang violence -- one element of the multi-dimensional crisis currently affecting the Caribbean nation.
Since the General Debate began on Sept. 19, eight of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies -- Guatemala, Paraguay, Palau, Eswatini, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Saint Lucia, and Tuvalu -- have voiced their support for Taiwan.
According to the event’s agenda, representatives of three other formal allies -- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Belize -- were to deliver their statements on Saturday.
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
RSS