The government officially recognizes Kosovo and seeks to establish relations with all freedom-loving countries, Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) said yesterday.
The announcement came one day after China condemned Taiwan for congratulating Kosovo on its newfound statehood, saying Taiwan does not have the right to "recognize" Kosovo.
Huang denied that yesterday's announcement was a reaction to Beijing's criticism.
"China's opposition did not come into our consideration. As a sovereign nation, Taiwan has the right to do whatever it believes is correct and just," he said.
Huang said that Taiwan is interested in establishing friendships and forging diplomatic ties with all countries that uphold the values of freedom and democracy.
He said Taiwan had made contact with Kosovar media and officials on several occasions over the past two years.
"We look forward to further contact with Kosovo in the future," he said, adding that Taiwan would provide aid to Kosovo if required.
He said Taiwan had planned to recognize Kosovo since its declaration of independence, but had waited for major countries to make their stance clear. Had Taiwan not made its announcement yesterday, it might have appeared that Taipei was cowed by Beijing, he said.
In announcing the US' recognition on Monday, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice cautioned that Kosovo was a "special case" and "cannot be seen as a precedent for any other situation in the world today."
When asked if Rice was talking about Taiwan, Huang said "every country is a special case."
President Chen Shui-bian (
In a speech to the foreign ministry's spring dinner for the Taipei diplomatic corps at the Grand Hotel, Chen urged all democracies to work together in unity and support all groups seeking democratic progression.
Additional reporting by staff writer, with CNA
‘VIRUS DIPLOMACY’: The nation’s expertise in handling COVID-19 was among the reasons that it should not be excluded from the WHO, the European Parliament said The European Parliament this week passed resolutions that support Taiwan’s bid to participate in the WHO and its intention to negotiate a trade pact with Taiwan. During its plenary session from Monday to Thursday, the parliament approved resolutions on the foreign policy consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak and the EU’s trade policy, parts of which were viewed as friendly toward Taiwan by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In a statement yesterday, the ministry welcomed the passage of the resolutions and thanked the parliament for its support for Taiwan. In the first resolution, the parliament cited Beijing’s increasing threats to Taiwan, the crackdown on
The gig began with a nun chanting on stage, but suddenly erupted into a wall of noise unleashed by distorted guitars and screamed sutras — the unique sound of Taiwan’s first Buddhist death metal band. The nation has a vibrant metal scene, but few outfits are quite as eye-catching as Dharma (達摩樂隊), a band that aims to deliver enlightenment via the medium of throaty eight-string guitars and guttural roars. Dressed in robes — black, of course — they use traditional Sanskrit sutras as lyrics, but everything else screams death metal, from bloody face paint on stage to growled vocals, relentless riffs and
LOOPHOLES: The people behind biased media content produced by a Chinese network, likely without sending staff to Taiwan, remain anonymous, a source said Beijing’s latest attempt at psychological warfare through heavily biased online media is aimed at sowing discord and polarizing Taiwanese society, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. The council’s comment came in response to Chinese network Southeast Television, which late last month began broadcasting an online program featuring commentary by Taiwanese unification supporters that authorities suspect was filmed illegally in Taiwan. To circumvent cross-strait regulations, the broadcaster collaborated with online service provider Baidu to air the series titles Diverse Voices From the Taiwan Strait (台海百家說). Only Taiwanese are shown on camera, without revealing the host, interviewer or production team. In one video, political commentator and
SUPPRESSION: Michael Tsai, a former defense minister, said that Beijing’s list of Taiwan independence advocates contravenes the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights The best way to respond to threats from China against Taiwan independence advocates is for the president to publicly reiterate Taiwan’s sovereignty, former minister of national defense Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) said on Sunday. Chinese media on Nov. 15 said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was compiling “a list of stubborn Taiwanese separatists and will severely punish them in accordance with [China’s] Anti-Secession Law and hold them accountable for their actions for the rest of their lives.” Chinese media subsequently accused Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) of being a “first-rate war criminal,” because of his policy on mask exports. “The vast majority
RSS