President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said his administration was not opposed to the country’s diplomatic allies developing economic relations with China and that both sides of the Taiwan Strait had a “tacit agreement” not to steal each other’s diplomatic allies.
Praising his “diplomatic truce” policy, Ma said it had produced “remarkable” results and that China and Taiwan have a mutual understanding that they should not woo each other’s diplomatic allies.
“We hope to extend cross-strait detente to the international community,” Ma said. “Now we [Taipei and Beijing] mutually respect each other and get along peacefully in the international community. This has never happened in the past 60 years.”
Ma said the goal of his diplomatic policy was to strengthen the government’s relationships with its diplomatic allies while at the same time improving ties with China and reducing friction with China in the international arena.
Ma said his administration would not discourage Taiwan’s allies from developing “unofficial economic relations” with China because this is a part of globalization.
Ma made the remarks while meeting Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alrich Nicolas at the Presidential Office yesterday morning.
It marked Nicolas’ first trip to Taiwan since he took office last September. Ma said he believed high-level visits between the two countries were helpful to promoting bilateral cooperation projects, adding that the administration hoped to continue this relationship and share the Taiwan’s experience with economic development.
Ma thanked the Caribbean ally for assisting his administration’s “aggressive” efforts to participate in the international community. He extended his thanks to Haitian President Rene Preval’s for the latter’s concern following Typhoon Morakot, which Ma described as causing “the worst flooding, unprecedented in this century.”
As of yesterday, the number of confirmed fatalities had reached 619, with 76 listed as missing or presumed dead. The Web site of the National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission showed that the Kaohsiung area reported 491 fatalities, followed by Pingtung with 27 and Tainan with 25.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
RSS