The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no plan to hold a ceremony or a news conference to mark the official renaming of the Association of East Asian Relations to the Association of Taiwan-Japan Relations, sources said yesterday.
The Association of East Asian Relations handles ties with Japan in the absence of formal diplomatic ties, which ended in 1972. Its office in Tokyo changed its name to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan in 1992.
Japan also set up a quasi-official organization, formerly known as the Interchange Association, Japan, to represent its interests in Taipei. The organization was renamed the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association in January, with a ceremony in Taipei to unveil the new plaque.
At a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee on March 6 in response to lawmakers’ queries, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維) said the Executive Yuan was reviewing a proposal to change the name of the Association of East Asian Relations to the Association of Taiwan-Japan Relations.
Sources said yesterday that the proposal has been approved by the Executive Yuan, adding that implementation was held off due to US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) this month, and that the work is expected to be completed in the next several days after some technical details are worked out.
However, the ministry plans to quietly announce the renaming via a press release and would not hold a ceremony or a news conference, sources added.
Legislators pushing for a ceremony have said that such an event should be held in Tokyo if possible, and if not, then a news conference should be called in Tokyo about the name change.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) said the name change should be celebrated with great fanfare, which would improve Taiwan’s foreign affairs morale and attract international attention, adding that Taiwan should also exercise caution to avoid harming its relationship with Japan.
Former representative to Japan Koh Se-kai (許世楷) said a press release is excessively low-key for the name change.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) should more positively respond to the good relations between Taiwan and Japan, he said, adding that Taiwan is a sovereign nation and should not be concerned with China’s reaction.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for