President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday made a stopover in Mumbai, India, en route to Africa, becoming the first Taiwanese president to make a transit stop in the South Asian giant.
The stop in Mumbai came as a surprise because the itinerary the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had released showed that Ma would make a stopover in Dubai.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添), who is accompanying Ma on the 12-day trip to three of Taiwan’s African diplomatic allies, said the ministry did not announce the stopover until the last minute because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Photo: CNA
Ma’s plane landed yesterday morning at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai for refueling, and Ma was greeted at the airport by Taiwanese representative to India Philip Ong (翁文祺), officials of Taiwan’s representative office in India and local government officials.
During the 85-minute stopover, Ma stayed in the airport’s VIP lounge and did not meet any government officials from India, the ministry said.
Ma yesterday thanked both India and the United Arab Emirates for agreeing to the stopovers and said their purpose was for refueling.
“There were other countries that also agreed to let us make transit stops, and we cherish the diplomatic achievements,” he said.
Yang said India agreed to the stopover because of the Ma administration’s record of keeping its promises and as a result of Taiwan’s diplomatic efforts over the past three years.
He denied that pressure from China was behind the last-minute announcement of the stopover in Mumbai.
Yang said the ministry had contacted several other countries before choosing Mumbai as the refueling stop.
“All of them responded positively,” he said.
However, he declined to name which countries had agreed to stopovers, saying that anonymity was part of the agreement.
Ma and his delegation will visit Burkina Faso, the Gambia and Swaziland during his first trip to Africa since taking office in 2008.
A scheduled visit to Sao Tome and Principe was canceled because Ma’s visit coincided with Sao Tomean President Manuel Pinto da Costa’s visit to Cuba, raising concerns about the stability of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The trip to Africa marked Ma’s sixth official trip overseas since 2008. He has made stopovers in the US during his previous five foreign trips.
He visited India in 2007 shortly after announcing his presidential bid.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source