Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended the funeral of Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Laurie Chan Hok Si's (
Chan's maternal grandfather Lu Szu-chang (
After the Chinese civil war, he spent most of his life in Hong Kong before moving to Taiwan with one of his daughters around 10 years ago, according to the ministry.
Chan was born in the Solomon Islands shortly after her parents emigrated there.
Lin, who conveyed condolences to Lu's family on behalf of Foreign Affairs Minister Mark Chen (
Chan's mother was also at the funeral.
While Lu's residence in Taiwan had contributed to strengthening diplomatic relations between Taiwan and the Solomon Islands, a group of Solomon Islands opposition lawmakers have recently visited China, according to Lin.
Noting that the Solomon Islands is a democratic country, Lin said it is natural it listens to "various kinds of voices."
The opposition lawmakers have illusions about China and seek to develop a relationship with it, but their visit to Beijing would not affect the Solomon Islands' ties with Taiwan, Lin said.
Lin also announced that the parliamentary speaker of the Pacific archipelago nation of Kiribati will lead a delegation on an official visit to Taipei.
The delegation is scheduled to arrive on Saturday. Members of the delegation include lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties.
"This shows both the ruling and opposition parties in Kiribati are supportive of the country's relations with Taiwan," Lin said.
The delegation is slated to meet with President Chen Shui-bian (
Kiribati established diplomatic ties with Taiwan in November 2003.
Meanwhile, the Marshall Islands Finance Minister Brenson Wase will lead a group of finance officials, including the country's Banking Commissioner Alfred Alfred Jr, on a visit to Taiwan from April 6 to 10.
The delegation will visit a number of government agencies, including the International Cooperation and Development Fund, Lin said.
Regarding President Chen Shui-bian's (
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai