Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Hou (侯清山) is to lead a diplomatic team to Nicaragua in the near future to consolidate Taiwan's diplomatic ties with the country, another vice minister said yesterday.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang Tzu-pao (
In a question-and-answer session held yesterday afternoon, several legislators expressed concerns about the possibility of Nicaragua's president-elect Daniel Ortega switching diplomatic ties to China.
The ministry had previously expressed concern that Nicaragua would break off diplomatic relations with Taiwan and set up ties with China if the Sandinistas were elected.
Questions
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (
However, the Sandinista government-elect in Nicaragua said on Sunday that it would maintain its diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Vice president-elect Jaime Morales Carazo told Nicaraguan radio station KW Continente that meetings with investors and Taipei's delegates have been held, and he stressed the two countries' mutual interest in further cooperation.
"We have been clear and categorical: we told our brothers in Taiwan they have been very generous and supportive to our country in many aspects," Morales Carazo said.
Future relations
He said that the future of Nicaraguan relations with China would depend on decisions made by the Beijing and Taipei governments in solving their differences.
Meanwhile, Yang said that Taiwan faced "substantial pressure" from Nicaragua's new political situation but added that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) talked to Ortega on the phone last Friday and both had a good understanding of each other.
Yang stressed that the team to be led by Hou will not be on a special mission but a regular team that the ministry sends to any of Taiwan's allies that is changing government.
"The diplomatic team will talk about President Ortega's plans for Nicaragua and see how Taiwan can help them and adjust existing cooperation plans if required," Yang said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
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