Fiji has closed its representative office in Taipei to make better use of its resources and not because of pressure from China as one lawmaker has claimed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
The Fiji Trade and Tourism Representative Office was shut down on Wednesday last week after Fijian Representative to Taiwan Karaisitiani Vuibau notified the ministry of his nation’s decision to end its operations in Taiwan, ministry spokeswoman Eleanor Wang (王珮玲) said.
Despite the closure of Fiji’s office in Taipei, Taiwan’s representative office in Fiji would continue to operate, Wang said.
Photo: CNA
Fiji’s move was made to reallocate resources to better meet the nation’s needs, Wang said, adding that unofficial bilateral ties between the two nations would not be affected by the move.
The closure of the office was brought to light by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Hsiu-yen (盧秀燕) during a legislative committee meeting yesterday.
Lu said she learned that one of the reasons behind the closure of the office was an attempt by China — which maintains diplomatic relations with Fiji — to suppress Taiwan amid strained cross-strait relations.
However, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Chih-chung (吳志中) told the committee that it was believed that Fiji closed its office mainly due to its limited financial resources, forcing it to adjust the number of foreign missions it supports.
The ministry saw the closure as an isolated case that would not have a “domino effect,” Wu said.
The ministry provided administrative assistance to help Fijian officials close the office and they in turn expressed their gratitude to the ministry for its efforts to help advance bilateral ties over the years, Wang said.
Fiji set up its representative office in Taiwan in 1997, in an effort to advance trade, investment and tourism relations, after the nations signed a joint “mutual recognition” communique in 1996, the ministry said.
Taiwan set up a trade mission in Fiji in 1971, which was closed and replaced by the East Asia Trade Center in 1976, a year after China and Fiji established diplomatic ties.
The East Asia Trade Center was renamed the Trade Mission of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Republic of Fiji in 1988.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS