President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen's visit to Nadi was labeled a `transit' stop by officials of both countries, which do not have diplomatic relations.
Chen is the first Taiwanese president to set foot in Fiji since the country became independent from the UK in 1970.
PHOTO: CNA
Chen was welcomed at the airport by overseas Taiwanese and Fijian people holding the national flags of both countries. The Fijian government provided a police and secret service escort for Chen's trip from the airport to his hotel.
According to his official schedule, Chen and his delegation were supposed to leave Tarawa, Kiribati yesterday, for an overnight transit stop in Guam.
However, late Tuesday night, officials from the Presidential Office told reporters in confidence that the delegation would be flying to Fiji, not Guam. Due to political concerns, they asked the press not to release the news until the president's aircraft had landed in Fiji.
When Chen's plane arrived at Nadi's international airport, Ratu (tribal chief) Ovini Bokini, the most respected civic leader in Fiji, was on hand to greet him.
Bokini holds the traditional title of Turaga na Tul Tavua, or the traditional head of the Vanua of Tavua. He is also the chairman of the Ba Provincial Council and chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs.
Fijian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase later arrived at the Sheraton Hotel, where Chen and his delegation were staying, to say hello.
The Fijian government held a "almost-state-level banquet" for Chen at the Sheraton, while Bokini hosted a traditional welcoming ceremony in honor of Chen's stopover.
Neither Bokini nor Qarase made any public comments about Chen's visit.
"Fiji is the most powerful country of the Pacific islands. It really means something that our president set foot onto its soil," an anonymous source from the Presidential Office said.
Alex Tu (
"The local evening news reported that President Chen was visiting Nadi today, while Taiwanese officials were trying to keep the visit low-profile to avoid unnecessary diplomatic problems until the president's aircraft arrived," Tu said.
According to Yu, the news reports said that Chen's visit would be a challenge for Fijian diplomacy.
Tu said that Chen had planned a trip to Fiji back in January but it was called off after details of the visit were leaked and the Chinese government sent a 200-member delegation to visit the Pacific nation.
Chen has often remarked that the first character of his first name is "water" so he always brings along a lot of water wherever he goes. This was proven true yesterday as a downpour hit the Nadi area as Chen and his delegation arrived.
Ranjan Reddy, who said he was head of Fiji's "Facility Service for Taiwan VIP Delegation" told the Taipei Times that it had not rained in the region for almost a month. Reddy is actually a high-ranking law-enforcement officer, but he wished to keep his official title out of the news.
Taiwan has maintained close relations with Fiji since 1971 when it established the "Trade Mission of the Republic of China," which acts as an embassy. The mission's office in Suva is the nation's only diplomatic office in a non-diplomatic ally that uses the country 's official name. The current representative to Fiji is Kuo Shih-nan (
Fiji established diplomatic relations with China on Nov. 5, 1975.
Also see story:
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