Following China’s abrupt resumption of diplomatic ties with Taiwan’s former ally the Gambia, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday expressed concerns over the nation’s relations with African diplomatic ally Sao Tome and Principe.
The legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee invited Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) and ministry officials to answer questions regarding China’s decision on Thursday last week to establish diplomatic ties with the Gambia, which unilaterally severed its 18-year relationship with Taiwan on Nov. 14, 2013.
When fielding questions from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) on whether Taiwan would suffer “an avalanche of ruptured diplomatic ties” in the wake of the Gambia incident, Lin said Taiwan’s ties with all of its 22 diplomatic allies are stable, including Guatemala, Panama and the Holy See.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Lin also dismissed former minister of foreign affairs Francisco Ou’s (歐鴻鍊) remarks on Sunday that all of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies desire to establish diplomatic ties with China.
“Ou’s statement is not entirely correct, but some of our diplomatic allies do harbor the illusion of forging diplomatic relations with China,” Lin said.
DPP Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) asked ministry officials to rate each of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies on a “red,” “yellow” and “green” scale in terms of the soundness of the nation’s respective relationships with them.
All of the nation’s diplomatic allies were rated “green,” suggesting stable ties, except for Sao Tome and Principe, which was rated “yellow” by Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Chen Chun-shen (陳俊賢).
Chen said he did not dare to give a “green” rating to the relations between Taiwan and Sao Tome and Principe.
Downplaying Chen’s “yellow” rating, Lin later said that the problem with Taiwan-Sao Tome and Principe ties lay mostly with Sao Tomean President Manuel Pinto da Costa, adding that a presidential election is due later this year.
Since Taiwan has maintained a close relationship with Sao Tomean Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada, who holds more power than the president, there is no crisis in the bilateral ties, Lin said.
Pinto da Costa visited Shanghai and Beijing in a private capacity in June 2014, with the stated goals of soliciting investment in the African nation’s deep-water harbor and promoting economic development.
During the committee meeting yesterday, legislators across party lines also passed an impromptu motion aimed at lodging a protest against China over its resumed ties with the Gambia.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-hsuan
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