The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday questioned China's claim that Vanuatu was withdrawing its recognition of Taipei in favor of Beijing.
Ministry spokesman Michel Lu (
"We have noticed the news was not announced in Vanuatu," Lu said.
China's official Xinhua News Agency quoted the country's foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue (
The decision was made at a Cabinet meeting in the Vanuatuan capital Port Vila on Wednesday, Zhang said.
"The government of China appreciates this stance by Vanuatu that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China," she said.
Zhang said Vanuatu's apparent change of heart "proves separatist activities of the Taiwan authorities are not popular and are going nowhere."
Vanuatu's Foreign Minister Barak Sope said yesterday that its Cabinet had rejected relations with Taiwan, even as a spokesman for Vohor claimed he was sticking with the agreement to recognize Taipei.
Nevertheless, the prime minister was adamant that "the government is not asking China to leave. We cherish the long relationship we have with China," Vohor's spokesman Kalvau Moli said.
The Vanuatuan Cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss the country's budgets and its diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Lu said.
"However, it is not immediately clear what decision they have reached concerning Vanuatu's ties with Taiwan," he told reporters at a press conference.
Vohor, who was on another island while the Cabinet met on Wednesday, reaffirmed to MOFA yesterday that the communique he had signed in Taipei on Nov. 4 establishing diplomatic relations remains valid, Lu said.
Lu said Vanuatu's deputy prime minister had presided over Wed-nesday's Cabinet meeting.
"The decision [on relations with Taiwan] they made in the Cabinet meeting does not count, because Prime Minister Vohor was not there," Lu said.
"The prime minister told us yesterday that his Cabinet members hold different views about his decision to build official ties with Taiwan. He said he would continue communication with his Cabinet members," Lu said, adding that Vanuatu's foreign minister belongs to the country's opposition party.
Refuting speculation that the survival of Taiwan's newly forged ties with Vanuatu depends solely upon Vohor, Lu said that Taiwan's diplomats have also been building contacts with Vanuatuan political heavyweights.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS