Panama's foreign minister Jose Miguel Aleman arrives in Taiwan today for a six-day visit.
His visit comes in the midst of Taiwan's cabinet reshuffle, where foreign minister designate Chen Chien-jen (程建?H) is scheduled to formally take over for Jason Hu (-J志強), the outgoing foreign minister and KMT campaign manager, next Tuesday.
Chen, who is fluent in Spanish, is to meet with Aleman during his stay here.
Aleman's trip follows Hu's visit to Panama last month, where he said high-level Panamanian officials assured him that ties with Taiwan remain firm.
A series of visits by Panamanian officials to China in recent months have fueled speculation that Panama is considering switching diplomatic recognition to Beijing.
China had previously stated that it planned to filch two of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in the Central America region before Oct. 1 this year -- the 50th anniversary of Communist Party rule in China.
With almost half of its 29 formal allies in Central America and the Caribbean, the region is an important diplomatic foothold for Taiwan.
For years, it has been the arena for a continual diplomatic tug-of-war between Taiwan and China.
Panama seems to have tipped the diplomatic balance by inviting Taiwan's ambassador to Panama, Lan Chih-ming (藍智民), to the handover of the Panama Canal next month while leaving China's unofficial trade representative in Panama in the cold.
Leaders from member countries of the Organization of American States, along with delegations from Japan, France, Egypt and Spain, will also attend.
However, Taiwan is concerned that China will gain preponderant influence over Panama through the chairman of Hutchison Whampoa, Li Ka-shing (李1顫?.
Li's Hong Kong-based conglomerate will take control of the waterway, paying the Panamanian government US$22.2 million per year for the next 20 years.
Taiwan and the US have become increasingly concerned that China could gain control of the strategically important canal, as Li is known to maintain close ties with Beijing leaders.
However, Taiwan too has commercial weight in Panama, with Taiwan's Evergreen Group having strong business interests operating warehouses and ports on the canal.
The group recently invested US$100 million in a harbor construction project and, along with a nearly completed housing project, is also planning to venture into the restaurant business there.
Chang Yung-fa (張榮發), the company's founder, has close ties with Panama president Mireya Moscoso and has been invited to attend the canal handover on Dec. 14, reported the Central News Agency yesterday.
Aleman will meet with Chang, along with president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), economic minister Wang Chih-kang (
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was