Grenada, which used to be a staunch ally of Taiwan, may switch its allegiance to China after its prime minister, Keith Mitchell, wrapped up a trip to Beijing to discuss establishing diplomatic ties, media reports said yesterday.
"The prime minister has not formally announced the decision. He only talked to the media regarding the possibility of establishing official relations with China. Mr. Mitchell is due to give a televised speech on Monday [today]. We will wait to see what he is going to say," said Michel Lu (呂慶龍), spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
After returning from an unprecedented trip to China, the prime minister suggested it would be in Grenada's best interest to establish diplomatic ties with Beijing -- a move that would require severing its long-standing relationship with rival Taiwan.
But Mitchell did not specify whether he had reached any agreements with the Chinese government during his visit last week to seek aid for hurricane relief and economic development.
"We had extensive discussions on economic and bilateral relations, and therefore we have reached some decisions as far as the future of our country is concerned," Mitchell said after returning on Friday.
"The world is changing and changing very fast. China is going to be a powerful economic country in every respect and we have to recognize this, and therefore we have to establish some form of contact."
The prime minister said he would discuss the details of his trip in an address to the nation today.
China said on Tuesday it would be happy to see Grenada sever ties with Taiwan, which offered millions of dollars in aid after Hurricane Ivan hammered the Caribbean country in September.
Mitchell met with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (
Taiwanese officials said before Mitchell's trip there they were watching closely and would try to convince Grenada that maintaining relations with Taipei was the best choice.
"Taiwan has provided us with enormous support in the past," Mitchell said.
"Clearly anything we intend to do, we will certainly let them know about," he said.
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
US President Donald Trump on Friday said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) told him China would not invade Taiwan while Trump is in office. Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News, ahead of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “I will tell you, you know, you have a very similar thing with President Xi of China and Taiwan, but I don’t believe there’s any way it’s going to happen as long as I’m here. We’ll see,” Trump said during an interview on Fox News’ Special Report. “He told me: ‘I will never do
RSS