The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said that diplomatic ties with Honduras remain firm in spite of the Central American nation's president recently saying he would try to shore up ties with all nations, including China.
MOFA spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh (葉非比) said the media had blown Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya's comments out of proportion when he said Tegucigalpa would not rule out establishing closer ties with Beijing.
"The comment was made during Zelaya's visit to Costa Rica and the local reporters have read too much into the remarks," Yeh said, stressing that nothing Zelaya said was contradictory to what he has always said in the past.
Honduras, Yeh noted, has always adhered to the policy that it welcomes the establishment of stronger ties with any country, including China, under the condition that its relations with Taiwan remain unchanged.
Honduras newspaper La Prensa said Zelaya had hinted on a private visit to Costa Rica that his nation could establish diplomatic relations with Beijing. The paper quoted him as saying: "We have the intention of opening relations with all countries in the world, even China."
Taiwanese ambassador to Honduras Lai Chien-chung (賴建中) told the Central News Agency that Zelaya's commitment to Taiwan remains solid.
"Zelaya was the first head of state to express his support for Taiwan's independence and recognized Taiwan's contributions to the Central American region last September at the UN Assembly [in New York]," he said.
During President Chen Shui-bian's (
In other developments, the ministry declined to comment on speculation of possible Taiwan-Barbados ties, except to say Taiwan seeks to establish relations with any country that upholds democratic values and recognizes its sovereignty.
Talk of Barbados switching allegiance from Beijing to Taipei came after the Caribbean nation elected Taiwan-friendly candidate David Thompson as its new prime minister last week.
During his campaign, Thompson promised to break 30-year ties with China once he entered office.
Thompson's rival, outgoing prime minister Arthur Owen, has accused Taiwan of meddling in the election by providing a large cash donation to Thompson's Democratic Labour Party (DLP).
Owen and his Barbados Labour Party said that Barbados' intelligence services had reported that there had been frequent contact between the DLP and Taipei, via St. Kitts, and said that the campaign finance came after Thompson made his promise to switch diplomatic ties.
Taiwan has categorically denied the accusations.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
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