Taiwanese APEC delegates yesterday lodged a protest over their exclusion from a ministerial meeting on the North Korean nuclear crisis, saying that China's efforts to edge out Taiwan are endangering regional security.
With the exception of Taiwan, foreign ministers from all APEC member states, including US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (
Not invited
Despite being an official member of the economic forum, Taiwan had not been invited to attend the meeting.
Minister of Economic Affairs Steve Chen (
"China has been willfully edging Taiwan out of all kinds of international events. Although this foreign ministers' meeting is not a formal one, China argued that only sovereign countries could attend this meeting, a position which is obviously targeted at Taiwan," said John Chen (陳忠), director-general of the ministry's Department of International Organizations.
"Taiwan is an important member of the Asia-Pacific region and has taken concrete steps to coordinate with resolutions made by the United Nations after North Korea's nuclear test," Chen said.
Other allies
Although Vietnam had planned to send an official to explain the content of the breakfast meeting to Taiwan, Chen said, "We will obtain any relevant information on nuclear issues from the US or our other allies."
At a press conference held by Japan following a meeting between Li and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, a Japanese official said that the two ministers had agreed to use "objective means" to resolve historical disputes that have plagued the two countries since the early 20th century.
The two countries will hammer out a version of history based on common understanding with the help of academics, the official added.
also see stories:
APEC ministers commit to resuming WTO talks
Bush seeks to reassure US allies at start of Asia tour
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