Concluding his unprecedented trip to Europe, President Chen Shui-bian (
"We are very honored that the flight bound for Taiwan carried not just one, but two presidents," Chen said in a radio broadcast from the plane upon arrival at CKS International Airport.
"It symbolizes the staunch relationship between Taiwan and Honduras, as well as the warm relations between President Maduro and A-bian," Chen added, referring to himself -- as he habitually does -- in the third person by his nickname.
PHOTO: CNA
Maduro, who has visited the country several times, was to travel from Taiwan to the Japanese island of Okinawa to attend an annual conference of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration.
Maduro was in the Vatican to attend Pope John Paul II's funeral.
Chen invited his Honduran counterpart to board the China Airlines charter flight with him after the two leaders ran into each other in the VIP room at Da Vinci Airport in Rome, the Presidential Office's Department of Public Affairs said.
During their discussions onboard the plane, Maduro expressed his hope that he would get to meet Chen again in August, when Central Latin American nations hold their summit in Nicaragua.
In a speech delivered after arriving at CKS International Airport, Chen said his trip would help cement Taipei-Vatican ties, despite speculation that the Holy See was ready to switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing.
"I became the first incumbent president to set foot in Saint Peter's square since Taiwan and the Vatican established diplomatic ties 63 years ago, to pay my final respects to the Pope," Chen said. "[The ties] are growing stronger everyday."
Chen is the first president from the Republic of China to make a visit to the Holy See since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 1942. The trip to the Vatican also marks the first time a sitting president from Taiwan has set foot in a European country.
Chen, leading a delegation of five, attended the Polish pontiff's funeral on Friday at the invitation of the Holy See.
After the funeral, Chen dined with staff members from Taiwan's embassy in the Holy See and Representative Office in Italy, as well as members of a pro-Taiwan group in the Italian parliament.
In his speech addressing the occasion, Chen called for leniency and reconciliation among political parties at home and between the two sides of Taiwan Strait.
"Only leniency and reconciliation will pave the way for harmony among the different political parties and ethnic groups, and is the cornerstone for peace with China," Chen said.
Chen then paid a visit to Taiwan's embassy to the Holy See. Situated near Saint Peter's square, the embassy moved to its new location last month.
Chen also took a quick sight-seeing tour to the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, Rome before heading to Da Vinci Airport for his flight home.
MILITARY BOOST: The procurement was planned after Washington recommended that Taiwan increase its stock of air defense missiles, a defense official said yesterday Taiwan is planning to order an additional four PAC-3 MSE systems and up to 500 missiles in response to an increasing number of missile sites on China’s east coast, a defense official said yesterday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the proposed order would be placed using the defense procurement special budget, adding that about NT$1 trillion (US$32,88 billion) has been allocated for the budget. The proposed acquisition would include launchers, missiles, and a lower tier air and missile defense radar system, they said The procurement was planned after the US military recommended that Taiwan increase
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
RSS