The Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said the recent rumors about the instability of diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Malawi is a result of low trust in relations between Taiwan and the US.
Ma said many of the nation's allies evaluate their relations with Taiwan by assessing the level of US support for Taiwan.
He vowed to restore mutual trust between Taiwan and the US by strengthening Taiwan's diplomatic efforts toward the US.
"[I] will not be a trouble-maker but a peace-maker [if elected]," he said, adding that he was "certain" that this approach would help Taiwan establish diplomatic relations with other countries.
Ma made the remarks when asked by reporters for comment on the recent news concerning Taiwan-Malawi relations.
The abrupt cancelation of a meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳), who was en route to Malawi, and high-ranking Malawian officials on Thursday, prompted speculation that Malawi could be considering severing its 41-year-old ties with Taiwan.
Ben Mbewe, secretary for Malawi's foreign affairs office, claimed Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika was not available to receive Taiwan's envoy because "he was still on vacation" and that the government was not informed in time for Huang's visit.
Huang and his delegation were forced to make a last minute detour to another African ally, Swaziland.
Malawian Foreign Minister Joyce Hilda Banda was quoted in a Central News Agency (CNA) report on Saturday as saying that before Malawi reached a decision on changing relations with Taiwan or China, any reports or information about such a decision were pure speculation.
Costa Rican Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno extended similar reassurances last June -- two days before the country cut off six decades of ties with Taiwan in favor of ties with Beijing.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
The age requirement for commercial pilots and airline transport pilots is to be lowered by two years, to 18 and 21 years respectively, to expand the pool of pilots in accordance with international standards, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced today. The changes are part of amendments to articles 93, 119 and 121 of the Regulations Governing Licenses and Ratings for Airmen (航空人員檢定給證管理規則). The amendments take into account age requirements for aviation personnel certification in the Convention on International Civil Aviation and EU’s aviation safety regulations, as well as the practical needs of managing aviation personnel licensing, the ministry said. The ministry
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