President Chen Shui-bian (
Accompanied to the airport by Vice President Annette Lu (
"Taiwan wants to stand up and move forward," he said, borrowing a theme from his May inauguration speech.
"I want the whole world to see the Republic of China," Chen said, using Taiwan's official name.
Chen's globetrotting comes just before a Sino-Africa economic cooperation conference is scheduled to be held in Beijing in October.
China has invited all 52 members of the Organization of African Unity, including eight of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in the region.
Eugene Chien (
"We may have some difficulties [maintaining diplomatic allies] ... especially in Africa this year," Chien said, adding that China has increased its diplomatic activity in the region.
In the past five years, Chinese President Jiang Zemin (
"The Chinese leadership, including the foreign minister and vice premiers have visited 31 countries in Africa since the beginning of this year ... showing Beijing is increasing its effort in this area," he said.
Chien said the president's first state visit is intended to assure Taiwan's diplomatic allies of the new government's continuity in foreign policy, despite what was said during the campaign -- that Taiwan should not be overly focused on the number of allies it has.
The Presidential Office also emphasized that no new promises on economic aid will be made on the trip and any new proposals will first be evaluated in Taiwan.
In a letter issued to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nicaraguan foreign minister Eduardo Montealegre denied reports last week saying he would remind Chen not to forget the US$100 million in aid promised by the previous government, calling them "totally deviating from the truth."
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source