The dialogue between the Vatican and China has been limited to ecclesiastical affairs and has not touched upon political or diplomatic issues, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.
“During his meeting with Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) at the Vatican in early September, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who serves as the Vatican’s secretary of state, said that the Holy See must engage in dialogue with Beijing for the purposes of evangelization and pastoral work to solve problems related to the promotion of the Catholic Church,” the ministry said in a statement.
Parolin said the talks have only been about church-related matters and have not touched upon political issues or diplomatic relations, the ministry said, adding that it has a decent understanding of interactions between the Holy See and Beijing and has conducted regular strategic analyses.
The ministry was responding to a Chinese-language report published on Radio France Internationale’s Web site on Saturday that cited anonymous sources as saying the negotiations between the Vatican and Beijing about establishing diplomatic ties have reached the final stage and that the two sides are inclined to establish a formal relationship.
The report also quoted Renmin University of China international relations professor Wang Yiwei (王義桅) as telling French media that the Vatican and China are likely to solve the issue of the appointment of bishops by following the “Vietnamese model” set up in 2010.
Under the model, the Vatican would be able to appoint bishops in appearance after they are chosen by the Chinese government, Wang was quoted as saying.
The Vatican, Taiwan’s sole European diplomatic ally, is believed to be one of the states most likely to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
The fear of losing the Holy See has been renewed after Sao Tome and Principe, an African nation that had been Taiwan’s diplomatic ally since 1997, cut ties with Taipei last week.
The ministry reiterated its determination to reinforce Taipei’s cooperative relationship with the Vatican based on the universal values of peace and freedom and to promote mutual visits of high-level officials from both sides.
“We will participate in international events held by the Holy See and do our utmost to consolidate our cooperation with it on humanitarian charities to become an indispensable partner to the Vatican and the international community in promoting kindness and peace,” the ministry said.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
HOTEL HIRING: An official said that hoteliers could begin hiring migrant workers next year, but must adhere to a rule requiring a NT$2,000 salary hike for Taiwanese The government is to allow the hospitality industry to recruit mid-level migrant workers for housekeeping and three other lines of work after the Executive Yuan yesterday approved a proposal by the Ministry of Labor. A shortage of workers at hotels and accommodation facilities was discussed at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. A 2023 survey conducted by the Tourism Administration found that Taiwan’s lodging industry was short of about 6,600 housekeeping and cleaning workers, the agency said in a report to the committee. The shortage of workers in the industry is being studied, the report said. Hotel and Lodging Division Deputy Director Cheng
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
RSS