The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday remained confident that a visit by Sao Tomean President Manuel Pinto da Costa to China “would not be of a political nature,” according to an official who wished to remain anonymous.
Pinto da Costa left on Friday for a week-long visit to Shanghai and Beijing, according to various reports in Sao Tome and Principe, which said that the trip was based on a resolution of the Sao Tome and Principe National Assembly unanimously adopted on May 29.
The reports said the National Assembly gave assent to Pinto da Costa to leave the country on a private visit to China.
Pinto da Costa is the first president of Sao Tome and Principe to set foot in China since 1997 when it switched diplomatic recognition from China to Taiwan.
The ministry was told by the Sao Tomean government that Shanghai is the only destination of Pinto da Costa’s trip to China, ministry officials said.
The ministry was told that there would be no political or diplomatic official among Pinto da Costa’s entourage since the purpose of the trip was only to attract investment for his country, while no meeting of a political nature has been scheduled, the official said.
He said that Pinto da Costa had sought consent from the National Assembly to embark on the trip to find Chinese investment for the country’s deep-water port project estimated at US$500 million.
Last year, Sao Tomean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communication Natalia Pedro da Costa Umbelina Neto paid a visit to Beijing, accompanied by the president’s diplomatic advisor, Paulo Jorge do Espirito Santo Pajo.
A few days after the visit, China set up a trade representative office in Sao Tome and Principe.
Pinto da Costa has never visited Taiwan since he was re-elected as president in 2011.
Taiwan’s Ambassador to Sao Tome and Principe Jack Cheng (程豫台) said yesterday that Pinto da Costa is scheduled to visit Taiwan after its parliamentary election at the end of the year.
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
The presence of Taiwanese politicians at China’s military parade tomorrow would send the wrong message to Beijing and the international community about Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy, a national security official said yesterday. China is to hold the parade tomorrow to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. By bringing together leaders of “anti-West” governments such as Russia, North Korea, Iran and Belarus, the parade aims to project a symbolic image of an alliance that is cohesive and unbending against Western countries, the national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu
ENHANCING DETERRENCE: Stationing the missiles in Kyushu would allow Japan to cover waters near Taiwan and China’s coastal areas without any logistical difficulties Japan is to deploy extended-range anti-ship missiles at a Ground Self-Defense Force base in Kumamoto to bolster its defenses, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Saturday. The upgraded Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, with a range of more than 1,000km, would be capable of striking targets in the Taiwan Strait and along China’s coast. Originally limited to a few hundred kilometers, the Type 12 was recently modernized ahead of schedule. Deployment, initially slated for next year, has been accelerated after the upgrade was completed sooner than expected, the newspaper said. Stationing the missiles in Kyushu would allow Japan to cover waters near Taiwan and
RSS