Malawian Ambassador to Taiwan Thengo Maloya yesterday reassured Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) that his country had no intention of switching diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to the People's Republic of China.
"It's a media report. The media can say anything ... The relationship between Taiwan and Malawi is stable, and I think it's stronger," the ambassador said when approached by the media at the ministry for a comment on recent reports.
Maloya was summoned to talks with Huang yesterday morning, the second time after a story published on Friday by the Nyasa Times, an online newspaper in Malawi, saying that Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika had sanctioned severing diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of China.
Maloya told the media yesterday that "there is no change" in the relationship between Taiwan and Malawi and that he "will be the first to know" if there were.
Asked if Taiwan should have faith in the relationship, Maloya said: "Of course."
A high-level official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who requested not to be named, said Huang had met Maloya to discuss the matter on Saturday night.
"Maloya told us [yesterday] that he had talked with his president on two occasions over the phone last weekend and that his president had denied a plan to change diplomatic relations," the official said.
The Nyasa Times said that two of Mutharika's senior Cabinet ministers, accompanied by two senior officials from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, were to leave for Beijing to sign a Memorandum of Understanding paving the way for full diplomatic relations between the two countries.
"Maloya said he was not sure if the two senior ministers were planning to go to Beijing, but he knew for sure that they had not been instructed by Mutharika to do so," the official said.
The official said that Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang Tzu-pao (楊子葆), who was recently sent to Malawi to deal with the situation, had met Mutharika and obtained the same response given the ministry by the ambassador.
Asked by reporters to assess Taiwan's relationship with Malawi, the officials said: "We can't doubt the promise [Maloya] has given us."
"We will remain vigilant on this matter. Whether the two senior Cabinet ministers will make their visit to China is an indicator [of future developments], but Malawian Cabinet ministers have visited China in the past," the official said.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS