Taiwan would do its utmost to keep the nation’s diplomatic allies, Premier William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, as Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) added that while China and the Vatican are expected to later this month finalize which side has the right to ordain bishops, the accord would not hamper diplomatic ties between Taiwan and the Holy See.
Wu made the remarks at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei when asked by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) whether he can guarantee that the Vatican would not switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China.
The Vatican is allegedly on the verge of making a historic concession by asking two bishops to resign to make way for two Chinese bishops appointed by Beijing.
The intelligence that the ministry has gathered indicates that negotiations over the appointment of the bishops would not affect diplomatic ties between Taiwan and the Vatican, Wu said.
However, when pressed on whether he could ensure that the Holy See would not drop its diplomatic recognition, Wu did not give a definite answer, saying that he would do his utmost to prevent the scenario.
Saying that President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration is “at its wits’ end” over China’s courting of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, Lu asked Lai whether he could guarantee that Taiwan would not lose the Vatican as an ally.
“I believe that if China poaches our diplomatic allies, it will be the party that should be denounced,” Lai said.
There is “some distance” between Beijing and the Holy See signing an accord and the establishment of diplomatic ties, Lai said, adding that the government can only guarantee to do its utmost to consolidate ties with all 20 of its diplomatic allies.
Lu asked Lai whether China could siphon off Taiwan’s talent and capital with its “economic carrots” — such as the 31 incentives offered to Taiwanese businesses and the cultural and creative sector, and its approval of Foxconn Industrial Internet Co’s request to hold an initial public offering on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
These policies would definitely have an impact on Taiwan’s business sector, Lai said.
However, the public should have faith in the robustness of local industries and their productivity, not see them as inferior, Lai said, adding that the concern Lu raised is exactly why the 31 policies “disguised as incentives” would actually benefit China more than Taiwan.
He and his team have formulated policies to address the “five shortages” in the industrial sector, while the passage of the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法) and the Act for Industrial Innovation (產業創新條例) last year made the environment for foreign professionals and innovative firms in Taiwan “friendlier,” Lai said.
If Taiwanese businesses could consolidate their foothold and grow capacity, they would be able to retain both talent and capital, he said.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
Snow fell on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山) yesterday morning as a continental cold air mass sent temperatures below freezing on Taiwan’s tallest peak, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Snowflakes were seen on Yushan’s north peak from 6:28am to 6:38am, but they did not fully cover the ground and no accumulation was recorded, the CWA said. As of 7:42am, the lowest temperature recorded across Taiwan was minus-5.5°C at Yushan’s Fengkou observatory and minus-4.7°C at the Yushan observatory, CWA data showed. On Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County, a low of 1.3°C was recorded at 6:39pm, when ice pellets fell at Songsyue Lodge (松雪樓), a
RSS