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.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard