Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (
The nation needs to carry on with its efforts because Beijing will not stop its fight to limit Taiwan's international space, Huang told a news conference at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
"It's going to be a very tough year in terms of making diplomatic progress," Huang said.
En route to Malawi last week,Huang made a last-minute detour to Swaziland when Lilongwe informed him it could not receive him.
He said that Saturday's legislative elections, the presidential election on March 22 and presidential inauguration on May 20, as well as the Olympic Games in Beijing, were all opportunities during which China could try to press Taiwan's diplomatic allies.
"China will not cease to restrict Taiwan's diplomatic space during the election season. On the contrary, it will intensify its pressure during this period," Huang said.
The cancellation of Huang's visit to Malawi added fuel to weeks of speculation that the country would sever its diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China.
Huang said the relationship between Taiwan and Malawi was "at a sensitive and delicate stage" and communication between the two countries had hit a rough spot.
Huang said he called off his trip as per diplomatic protocol after Malawi said that the visit would be inconvenient.
"I chose to respect Malawi's decision because I didn't want to put [senior Malawian officials] in a difficult position," he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said on Friday Malawian Minister of Foreign Affairs Joyce Banda had spoken to Huang on the phone during a flight stopover and told Huang he would be invited to visit once government operations returned to full speed after the holiday season.
Huang said he would visit Malawi whenever there was a convenient opportunity.
In related developments, a MOFA delegation left for the Marshall Islands yesterday to consolidate ties with the ally, which has elected a new president, Litokwa Tomeing.
Meanwhile, a group of former US officials, including former secretary of defense William Perry, postponed a planned visit to Taiwan from next week until April.
MOFA Spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh (
The former US officials arranged the visit to learn more about Taiwan's democracy, the latest developments in cross-strait relations and the effect of the legislative elections on the political scene, the ministry said late last month.
Taiwan yesterday denied Chinese allegations that its military was behind a cyberattack on a technology company in Guangzhou, after city authorities issued warrants for 20 suspects. The Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau earlier yesterday issued warrants for 20 people it identified as members of the Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM). The bureau alleged they were behind a May 20 cyberattack targeting the backend system of a self-service facility at the company. “ICEFCOM, under Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, directed the illegal attack,” the warrant says. The bureau placed a bounty of 10,000 yuan (US$1,392) on each of the 20 people named in
The High Court yesterday found a New Taipei City woman guilty of charges related to helping Beijing secure surrender agreements from military service members. Lee Huei-hsin (李慧馨) was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), making illegal compacts with government employees and bribery, the court said. The verdict is final. Lee, the manager of a temple in the city’s Lujhou District (蘆洲), was accused of arranging for eight service members to make surrender pledges to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in exchange for money, the court said. The pledges, which required them to provide identification
Nine retired generals from Taiwan, Japan and the US have been invited to participate in a tabletop exercise hosted by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation tomorrow and Wednesday that simulates a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2030, the foundation said yesterday. The five retired Taiwanese generals would include retired admiral Lee Hsi-min (李喜明), joined by retired US Navy admiral Michael Mullen and former chief of staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces general Shigeru Iwasaki, it said. The simulation aims to offer strategic insights into regional security and peace in the Taiwan Strait, it added. Foundation chair Huang Huang-hsiung
’DISTORTION’: Beijing’s assertion that the US agreed with its position on Taiwan is a recurring tactic it uses to falsely reinforce its sovereignty claims, MOFA said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said Chinese state media deliberately distorted Taiwan’s sovereign status, following reports that US President Donald Trump agreed to uphold the “one China” policy in a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). During the more than one-hour-long call, Xi urged Trump to retreat from trade measures that roiled the global economy and cautioned him against threatening steps on Taiwan, a Chinese government summary of the call said. China’s official Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying that the US should handle the Taiwan issue cautiously and avoid the two countries being drawn into dangerous
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