Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) yesterday declined to comment on the future development of ties between Taiwan and its former ally of Nauru, following some reports saying the tiny Pacific state was considering switch diplomatic ties back to Taipei.
Chien was speaking after a Reuters report from Beijing said Nauru has closed its embassy in Beijing due to financial difficulties, while citing a source saying the closure was to pave the way for the re-establishment of diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
"The national interest will be the top principle for us when contemplating our future relations with Nauru. But I can't comment on how future ties will unfold," Chien said yesterday afternoon.
The reports said that the cash-strapped Nauru government was split between a faction rooting for China and another seeking financial assistance from Taiwan.
A Nauru diplomat in Beijing confirmed that the mission, which opened in April, was shut on July 29 due to "funding problems."
He quoted Nauru President Ludwig Scotty as saying the closure did not reflect a "cooling of relations" between China and Nauru.
But a Beijing-based source said officials belonging to one faction of the Nauru government have been in contact with their Taiwanese counterparts and were seeking financial aid with an eye on eventually re-establishing diplomatic relations.
"The closure is the first step towards Nauru and Taiwan re-establishing diplomatic relations," said the source, who asked not to be identified.
Reuters obtained a copy of an official document which showed Nauru had sought funding from Beijing based on what Taipei had provided -- housing and transport for Nauru's UN ambassador and rent for Nauru's New York mission worth nearly US$10,000 a month.
But Beijing decided recently not to provide funding, the document showed. It was unclear if China had given any money.
The tiny Pacific island state switched ties from Taipei to Beijing in July of last year, reducing the number of Taiwan's diplomatic allies from 28 to 27.
"China used its `cash diplomacy' to obstruct our diplomatic work when Nauru cut ties with Taiwan back in July of last year. And this severance of diplomatic ties hurt the feelings of the Taiwanese people," Chien said.
"We'll need to assess in detail as to whether the reestablishment of ties between Nauru and Taiwan would be in accord with our national interests," Chien said.
The foreign minister failed to clarify what he meant by "national interest."
Taiwan's embassy in the neighboring Fiji has been in charge of secret communications with the authorities in Nauru since the severance of ties between the two countries last year, sources said.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique