Taiwan is closely watching interactions between the Vatican and China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that China had “repeatedly violated” a 2018 agreement on the appointment of bishops.
The Vatican, which only has formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, would like to establish a permanent office in China, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said on Tuesday, in what would be a major upgrade of diplomatic relations.
The Vatican is one of only a dozen states to maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan and Taipei has watched nervously as Pope Francis seeks to improve ties with Beijing.
Photo: AP
Responding to Parolin’s comments, the ministry said it continued to promote cooperation with the Vatican and the Catholic Church in fields such as humanitarian assistance, and jointly defend the core values of religious freedom.
“We understand that the Holy See hopes to promote the freedom of belief and rights of Chinese Catholics, and has publicly expressed its desire to send representatives to China many times,” it said in a statement.
In the 100 years since the first Chinese synod was held in 1924, China has “clamped down on religious freedom,” and has “repeatedly violated” a 2018 agreement on appointing bishops, it said.
The ministry called on all nations to work together to urge China to stop its “violations of religious freedom and basic human rights.”
Deputy Minister of Environment Shih Wen-chen (施文真) led a delegation to a Vatican seminar on climate change this month, which met Pope Francis, demonstrating the deep friendship between Taiwan and the Vatican, it said.
It also said the Vatican sent an envoy — Apostolic Nunciature to the Philippines Charles John Brown — to Monday’s inauguration of President William Lai (賴清德).
“Hopefully we will be getting your continued support,” outgoing president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told Brown during a meeting in the presidential office shortly before the event.
“The Holy Father sends his warm greetings to you,” Brown replied, in comments broadcast live on television.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
RSS