It would not be a tough decision for the Holy See, Taiwan’s only ally in Europe, to switch diplomatic recognition to China, but the timing is not ripe, diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks on Aug. 30 showed.
A cable dated April 24, 2009, quotes Holy See Ministry of Foreign Affairs Country Director for China Monsignor Gianfranco -Rota-Graziosi as saying that “the Vatican would make alternative arrangements short of diplomatic relations with Taiwan, if this would improve ties with Beijing or religious freedom in the mainland.”
“For the Vatican, Rota said, diplomatic relations are a means to promote religious freedom, not/not [sic] an end to themselves. The goal, he added, is to create space for the Church to operate free of -government interference,” the cable says.
The senior Vatican official made the point to Cartin Noyes, the then-charge d’affaires of the US embassy in the Vatican on April 22, 2009.
Rota had said that it was “common knowledge: the Holy See would downgrade its relationship with Taiwan ‘overnight’ with the right word from Beijing,” as recorded in a cable dated Nov 24, 2006, originating from the US -embassy in the Vatican.
Noyes said that Rota, having covered China at the Holy See’s Secretariat of State for 19 years, “was not optimistic current PRC [People’s Republic of China] authorities would relinquish their power over religious groups.”
Even though Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) appears to be more open than his predecessor, Jiang Zemin (江澤民), “he does not seem to be as influential — and so not able to push through a rapprochement with the Church,” he said.
Another cable dated Feb. 4, 2009, from the US consulate in Guangzhou, China, quotes Guangzhou’s Bishop Joseph Gan as saying that the issue of Taiwan-Vatican relations was a relatively easy one to work out.
The issues of Taiwan-Vatican relations and the recognition and ordination of bishops could be resolved “in a day.”
“But religious freedom was a far more contentious, indeed potentially irreconcilable matter,” the cable quotes Gan as saying.
Over the years, the Chinese government has continued to insist that the Holy See break diplomatic relations with Taiwan before it will discuss control over the appointment of bishops, what it described as two main obstacles for advancing its relationship with the Vatican, but the Holy See wants it the other way around.
A cable dated Jan. 29 last year shows that US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had asked overseas posts to provide information about any possible change in the triangular relationship between Beijing, the Holy See and Taiwan after China expressed willingness to permit Caritas’ charity work in the country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS