The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday declined to say whether it would recall Taiwan’s ambassador to St Lucia as requested by the Caribbean country’s newly elected leader, saying only that envoys posted abroad are evaluated regularly.
“Evaluations are held on a regular basis and a personnel reshuffle will be made under necessary conditions,” said Jaime Wu (吳進木), director-general of the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs.
The English-language China Post reported on Sunday that St Lucian Prime Minister Kenny Anthony had urged Taiwan to replace Ambassador Tom Chou (周台竹) after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is inaugurated for a second term on May 20.
“I have asked for the recall of Ambassador Tom Chou ... His behavior in St Lucia over the last couple of years is unacceptable to the government of St Lucia,” Anthony was quoted by the report as saying.
“As far as we are concerned, his presence in St Lucia is not in the best interest of Taiwan and the government and people of St Lucia, at this time,” he said.
Anthony, who was elected prime minister in November last year, has accused Chou of influencing St Lucia’s elections by supporting the then-ruling United Workers Party (UWP).
He also pledged to review diplomatic relations with Taiwan after taking power.
St Lucia first established diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1984, but switched recognition to China in 1997 after Anthony was elected prime minister for the first time. In 2007, the UWP government, which had regained power in 2006, renewed ties with Taipei.
St Lucia is one of Taiwan’s 23 diplomatic allies.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
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