Bilateral relations between Taiwan and Panama have not changed, despite rumors that certain high-ranking government officials from the Central American ally are upset with Taipei over a meeting with a politician from the opposition party, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
“Reports claiming that Taiwan-Panama relations have been downgraded or are on the brink of collapse are baseless,” Wu Chin-mu (吳進木), director-general of the ministry’s Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs, said in a letter to the Chinese-language China Times.
Wu’s statement in the newspaper came one day after one of the China Times’ correspondents wrote about a “diplomatic crisis.”
Panama, one of Taiwan’s 23 diplomatic allies, became dissatisfied with the country in January when Foreign Affairs Minister Timothy Yang (楊進添) met with Panamanian Vice President Juan Carlos Varela, who is a member of the opposition party, during an overseas trip, the report said.
The meeting suggested interference in Panama’s internal affairs, the report added.
In retaliation, Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli has delayed accepting the credentials of Diego Chou (周麟), Taiwan’s new ambassador to Panama, for two months, the report said.
“There is no timetable as to when a nation’s leader should receive the credentials,” Wu said, adding that Ambassador Chou was already engaging in “normal interactions” with the government.
Both sides are negotiating on a suitable time for Martinelli to accept Chou’s credentials, he added.
Chou presented a certified copy of his letter of credentials to Panama’s foreign minister shortly after his arrival in the country, according to ministry spokesperson James Chang (章計平) on Thursday.
The acceptance of a letter of credentials confirms the authority of a new ambassador and the recognition of the nation and government that he or she represents.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
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COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai