The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines remain strong and stable, shrugging off plans by the Caribbean nation’s major opposition party to establish ties with China if it gains power.
At a routine news conference in Taipei yesterday, Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Director-General Miguel Tsao (曹立傑) said relations between the two nations have been solid and steady, as evidenced by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves’ attendance at the government’s Double Ten National Day ceremony in front of the Presidential Office Building on Monday.
“During his visit to Taiwan this time, Gonsalves said that in an effort to demonstrate our friendship, he published a 40,000-word article in a local newspaper detailing the two nations’ close ties,” Tsao said.
In the article, Gonsalves told Arnhim Eustace, leader of Saint Vincent’s main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), that the idea of establishing diplomatic ties with Beijing is “naive” Tsao said.
Gonsalves also reiterated confidence in the two nations’ strong relations during his meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Presidential Office on Tuesday and pledged to prove his words through actions, Tsao said.
Tsao made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding Eustace’s announcement in August that in light of Saint Vincent’s need to promote trade and investment, his party would switch the nation’s diplomatic recognition to Beijing if elected to office.
Saint Vincent is among Taiwan’s 22 diplomatic allies, some of which have allegedly been interested in switching sides to Beijing, including the Vatican and Sao Tome and Principe.
In March, Taipei’s former diplomatic ally Gambia established ties with China after severing the two nations’ 18-year relationship in November 2013.
Tsao said it was the 10th visit to Taiwan by Gonsalves, who was re-elected for a fourth term in December last year and is set to become the longest-ruling national leader in Latin America and the Caribbean after his current term expires in 2020.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS