President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday made an unexpected visit to Singapore to pay tribute to the late Singaporean prime minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀), with government officials offering ambiguous answers to questions about in what capacity Ma is making the trip.
Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) told lawmakers during a question-and-answer session at the legislature that Ma was traveling to Singapore as the “head of state.”
A government official, who asked to remain anonymous, said Ma was invited by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍), one of Lee Kuan Yew’s sons, to attend a private family wake at the official residence of the prime minister in his capacity as Lee Kuan Yew’s “old friend.”
Photo: CNA
While the trip was “personal” in nature, that did not change the “universally known fact” that Ma is the president of the Republic of China (ROC), the official said.
“Ma is the president of the ROC wherever he is,” the official said.
The official said that Ma has not been invited to the state funeral on Sunday, which many world leaders are expected to attend, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) after Xinhua news agency reported that the Chinese leader would attend the funeral.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
It was the second time an ROC president has been able to visit Singapore, which has maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan despite establishing diplomatic relations with China in 1990, following a visit by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) in 1989.
Ma and a small entourage, including former National Security Council secretary-general Hu Wei-chen (胡為真) and former Control Yuan president Frederick Chien (錢復), arrived in Singapore at 4:25pm on a China Airlines Boeing 737-800 after a four-and-a-half-hour flight.
The government kept details of the trip secret, but several media outlets broke the news online before Ma’s departure at 11:30am.
The Central News Agency cited anonymous sources as saying that Ma, Hu and Chien met with Lee Hsien Loong at his residence to discuss their memories of Lee Kuan Yew.
Ma was scheduled to arrive at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 11:30pm last night.
At the legislature in Taipei, Mao was bombarded with questions from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers regarding the nature of Ma’s visit following media reports that quoted sources at the Presidential Office saying that “Ma was on a private trip.”
Mao said he was not “part of the planning” of the visit, so he could not comment on a question from DPP Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) about whether Beijing’s consent was required for the visit.
After DPP lawmakers criticized Ma for “sneaking out of the country,” Mao repeatedly said the trip was kept quiet to “respect the wishes of Singapore and Lee [Kuan Yew]’s family.”
“The head of the country is required to explain his motive when leaving the country; otherwise how do we know that he is not absconding with money on a plane?” DPP Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said.
“We have to understand that there is no diplomatic relationship between Taiwan and Singapore, and we have to respect Singapore’s arrangements, but I am sure that President Ma would be treated as a head of state,” Mao said.
In Beijing, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Fan Liqing (范麗青) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Hua Chunying (華春瑩) urged Singapore to observe the “one China” principle when dealing with Taiwanese paying tributes to Lee Kuan Yew, since he had always upheld the “one China” policy himself.
Meanwhile, former vice presidents Lien Chan (連戰) and Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), and former premier Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村) — Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members — and former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) of the DPP have been invited to attend the state funeral, all in an individual capacity, Ministry of Foreign Affairs sources said.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from