The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that Panama, one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in Latin America, has issued an official invitation to president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to attend the inauguration ceremony of the newly expanded Panama Canal in June.
Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said that the ministry has received a copy of the invitation addressed to Tsai and has forwarded it to her office.
Lin said that the invitation is important, because Tsai’s attendance at the ceremony would help cement diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Panama.
Democratic Progressive Party spokesperson Wang Min-sheng (王閔生) later yesterday said the party is aware of the invitation, but added it would brief the public after further discussions.
Panama’s Canal Authority Administrator Jorge Quijano on Wednesday said that an expansion to the Panama Canal is set open on June 26.
According to the BBC’s Chinese Web site, the Panama Canal Authority has sent formal invitation letters to the heads of state and government officials of 70 nations, including Tsai and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), to attend the opening ceremony.
Panama has a policy of maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan and commercial relations with China. China is the second-biggest user of the Panama Canal.
Additional reporting by Loa Iok-sin
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
RSS