China Airlines (中華航空), one of Taiwan’s major carriers, is to offer an additional direct flight to Palau from June 1, bringing the total number of weekly flights to four, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told Palauan President Tommy Remengesau on Friday.
Tsai, who is in Palau on the first leg of a visit to three Pacific island allies, said that she delivered the good news to Remengesau, hoping that it would prompt more Taiwanese to visit the Pacific nation.
China Airlines, which is partly state-owned, currently offers three direct flights per week between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Roman Tmetuchl International Airport near Koro.
Photo: EPA-EFE / Presidential Office / Handout
The airline began providing charter flights between the two nations in 2008 and scheduled services in 2009.
The average passenger load on the regular flights has reached about 80 percent over the past year, the airline said earlier this year.
Palau’s economy relies heavily on tourism and in the past few years a large percentage of visitors have been Chinese.
Beijing is widely believed to be trying to woo Taiwan’s remaining 17 allies, including six in the Pacific.
In late 2017, China banned Chinese travel agencies from arranging group tours to Palau, apparently to pressure the island nation to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
However, Palau has maintained diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
It is hoped that the extra China Airlines flight will attract more Taiwanese travelers visit to Palau, but it is unclear whether there would be enough to fill the loss in Chinese tourists.
Tsai made the announcement at a signing ceremony for an agreement on sea patrol cooperation between the two nations.
Under the pact, Taiwan’s 1,800-tonne Hsun Hu No. 7 patrol frigate participated in a joint marine patrol exercise with Palauan vessels yesterday, said Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Director-General Chen Kuo-en (陳國恩), a member of Tsai’s entourage.
With the sea patrol cooperation accord, the two nations would also join hands to fight cross-border maritime crimes and protect each other’s fishing boats, Chen said.
Thanks to the cooperation, Taiwanese patrol boats would also be able to dock in Palau to replenish supplies during missions, Chen said, adding that the two nations would also conduct training and exchanges of sea patrol personnel.
Yesterday’s drill, which focused on marine rescue operations, was the first of its kind between Taiwan and Palau, CGA Fleet Branch head Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said.
Tsai is to head to Nauru for a visit today and tomorrow, before traveling to the Marshall Islands on Tuesday to attend the first Pacific Women Leaders’ Coalition Conference.
It is her sixth overseas trip since taking office in May 2016.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he