While Taiwan’s ties with all 12 countries it has official diplomatic relations with are relatively stable, “extra attention” needs to be paid to Haiti and the Vatican, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said.
During an interview with an online political talk show on Sunday, Lin said that Haiti has been rocked by gang violence and social unrest since former Haitian president Jovenel Moise was assassinated in July 2021.
However, Lin said that Taiwan continues to stand with Haiti and was one of the last nations to close its embassy during the unrest.
Photo: Reuters
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has placed high importance on Latin America and the Caribbean since taking office, he said.
“So I believe Taiwan and the US can work together in this regard,” he added.
Lin said the Holy See has been pushing for closer relations with China during Pope Francis’ tenure.
The Holy See is the only sovereign European entity that has official diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (ROC), the official name of Taiwan.
Relations were established in 1942 when the ROC government was based in the Chinese city of Chongqing.
In 2018, Beijing and the Vatican struck a deal to work together on appointing Chinese bishops, which was renewed for the third time in October last year.
However, Beijing has repeatedly contravened the agreement by unilaterally appointing bishops.
In an interview with the monthly magazine America, which was published on Feb. 28, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states, said the Holy See remains committed to dialogue with China on the appointment of bishops in China.
“We believe that it is a process of continuing this dialogue, working on these questions of the appointment of bishops, trying to make this agreement work better, and slowly, hopefully, by doing so, building up a sense of trust and understanding between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China [PRC],” he said.
In response to Gallagher’s comments, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that it continues to closely monitor the ongoing dialogue between the PRC and the Holy See.
The ministry said it understands that the Vatican hopes to improve the plight of Chinese Catholics via dialogue with the PRC.
Taiwan would continue to work with the Holy See and the Catholic Church to enhance humanitarian cooperation and jointly safeguard the core value of religious freedom and in so doing, enhance bilateral ties, the ministry added.
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
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
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,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
RSS