The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday conceded that it is considering writing off some of Nicaragua's debts, but denied speculation that Nicaragua made the demand in exchange for keeping diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
"We are considering it from the humanitarian point of view, but it has not been decided yet. It is international consensus to help needy countries," Foreign Ministry Spokesman David Wang (
Wang was responding to a Chinese-language newspaper report said Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Samuel Santos had mentioned the request to reporters on Friday after conferring a medal on the nation's ambassador to Nicaragua, Hung Ming-ta (洪明達).
Nicaragua wants Taiwan to write off the debts in exchange for Managua's maintaining ties with Taiwan, the China Times said.
The newspaper said that Nicaragua owes Taiwan US$160 million, and that the total debt would be higher if Taipei's loans to Nicaragua extended through the Central American Integration System were also taken into account.
On Thursday, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said that his government was waiting for Taiwan's decision regarding Managua's request for electricity-generation equipment.
The China Times quoted Ortega as saying there would be no change in bilateral ties if the equipment is delivered and put into operation in October, in an apparent allusion to Nicaragua's conditions for continued diplomatic recognition of the nation.
Since Costa Rica switched recognition from Taiwan to China on June 1, reports have speculated that Nicaragua also plans to break ties with Taiwan and recognize China.
But Santos has denied the reports, saying that his country treasured its friendship with Taiwan.
Nicaragua recognized Beijing in 1985 after Ortega's first election. However, former president Violeta Chamorro broke with Beijing and re-established ties with Taiwan after defeating Ortega in 1990.
Before winning the most recent presidential election, Ortega had said that if he won, he would switch recognition from Taiwan to China to meet the needs of the Nicaraguan business sector.
China has reserved offshore airspace in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported yesterday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. These alerts, known as Notice to Air Missions (Notams), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert is
More than 6,000 Taiwanese students have participated in exchange programs in China over the past two years, despite the Mainland Affairs Council’s (MAC) “orange light” travel advisory, government records showed. The MAC’s publicly available registry showed that Taiwanese college and university students who went on exchange programs across the Strait numbered 3,592 and 2,966 people respectively. The National Immigration Agency data revealed that 2,296 and 2,551 Chinese students visited Taiwan for study in the same two years. A review of the Web sites of publicly-run universities and colleges showed that Taiwanese higher education institutions continued to recruit students for Chinese educational programs without
A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced a bill to enhance cooperation with Taiwan on drone development and to reduce reliance on supply chains linked to China. The proposed Blue Skies for Taiwan Act of 2026 was introduced by Republican US senators Ted Cruz and John Curtis, and Democratic US senators Jeff Merkley and Andy Kim. The legislation seeks to ease constraints on Taiwan-US cooperation in uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), including dependence on China-sourced components, limited access to capital and regulatory barriers under US export controls, a news release issued by Cruz on Wednesday said. The bill would establish a "Blue UAS
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
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