On his second day in Sao Tome and Principe, President Chen Shui-bian (
The president also promised the Sao Tome media that Taiwan will assist the country in developing its oil and natural gas resources.
Chen, on a 10-day tour to four African allies, inspected the ROC embassy and took photos with ROC Ambassador Ko Chi-sheng (
PHOTO: CNA
On seeing that the library still had no books even though it opened in May, a member of the Taiwanese delegation pledged to donate 500 books to its shelves.
De Menezes and Foreign Minister Alda da Conceicao explained in detail to Chen the characteristics of the two buildings and reiterated that the Sao Tome people now enjoy better leisure facilities thanks to the generous aid from Taiwan.
Chen responded that Taiwan should provide not only material aid and assistance to its allies but also transfer technology and skills, saying that Taiwan should "not just give them fish, but teach them how to fish."
In the capital, Sao Tome, many members of Taiwan's delegation were amazed by the Portuguese architecture and scenery, which they said was very different from what they had imaged. Sao Tome and Principe was a Portuguese colony before it gained independence in 1975.
Ko briefed Chen about the country after he arrived on Wednesday. Ko said that, in preparing for Chen's visit, de Menezes had the whole country's streets cleaned and made Wednesday a national holiday so people could gather along the streets to greet Chen.
Ko stressed that the country was blessed with a variety of natural resources, including fruit and fish, and does not have food shortages like some other African nations.
If not for the malaria that plagues the country, it would be a more popular tourist destination, he said.
At an evening banquet, Chen praised the beautiful country as being the "Formosa of Africa."
Earlier in the afternoon, Chen gave interviews to the local media, during which he was asked about the country's natural resources.
He told them Taiwan would be willing to help Sao Tome and Principe exploit the oil and natural gas reserves in the sea surrounding the island nation
Chen said that this issue had been brought up by de Menezes when he visited Taiwan earlier this year and that Taipei had sent a team to evaluate the situation last month.
The president said that Taiwan would do its best to facilitate cooperation between the two countries with greatest sincerity.
Chen is scheduled to leave for Malawi today on the third leg of his 10-day African tour.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS