Relations between Taiwan and Paraguay remain strong and both countries would continue ongoing joint projects, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday.
Ma made the remarks at a meeting with Enrique Salyn Buzarquis Caceres, speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Taiwan’s only South American ally.
LOYALTY QUESTIONS
Paraguay forged ties with the Republic of China in 1957. Despite the long history of friendship, there were reports that Asuncion had considered switching allegiance to China when Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo, a leftist and a former bishop, was elected to office last April. In an effort to safeguard relations, Ma flew to Asuncion in August on his first foreign tour as president to attend Lugo’s inauguration.
Prior to his victory, Lugo went on the record assaying he was open to establishing relations with all countries, including China.
Last September Paraguay declined to throw its weight behind Taiwan’s annual UN bid.
“We will no longer vote [at the UN] for Taiwan despite the fact we recognize the aid the country has provided,” Lugo was quoted saying in an Associated Press report at the time.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that Lugo has been unable to visit Taiwan because of his busy schedule in dealing with domestic matters.
Ma yesterday recalled attending Lugo’s inauguration and meeting many important policy makers and said that bilateral links were expected to be further strengthened as the two nations continue their agricultural, military and economic cooperation.
PANAMA SCANDAL
In related news, a Central News Agency (CNA) report yesterday said that former Panamanian ambassador to Taiwan Jose Antonio Dominguez insisted Taiwan had not made any direct donation to the former Moscoso administration as a fund mismanagement trial continues against Ruby Moscoso, a sister of the former president Mireya Moscoso who served as the first lady.
It has been alleged that the Moscosos fraudulently used US$13.7 million of a US$45 million donation given by Taiwan in 2004 to the Mar de Sur Foundation, a state-created social welfare program. The former government officials said that the money was under the control of the foundation, not the administration.
In an interview with CNA, Panamanian Ambassador Simon Ko (柯森耀) declined to comment on the trial, saying the Taiwan government respects Panama’s judicial process and that it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the case.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
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