Taiwan has "prepared for the worst" regarding shaky ties with the Solomon Islands, Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Hung-mao (
Danny Philip, the foreign minister of the Solomon Islands, was scheduled to arrive in Taipei last Friday, but failed to show up, triggering speculation that bilateral ties between the two countries may be hanging in the balance. It has been confirmed that Philip left Australia on Monday and DPP Legislator Parris Chang (張旭成) said Philip was currently visiting Beijing.
When asked if Philip was in Beijing, Tien said: "probably ... should be."
The country's ambassador to Taipei, Seth Gukuna, gave a vague answer regarding Philip's whereabouts. "All I can tell you as of now is that he is in that part of the region, but I am not sure whether he's in Hong Kong, Macao or Beijing," Gukuna told the Taipei Times.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao (
Earlier yesterday, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Sogavare called an urgent Cabinet meeting at which relations with Taiwan were reportedly discussed. He then told Taiwan officials during a reception for Taiwan's Double Ten celebrations that ties between the two countries remained unchanged, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) officials said.
When attending the Double Ten party at the Taipei Guest House, Gukuna admitted that it wasn't until late yesterday that he had received instructions from his government regarding ties between the two countries.
When asked if Philip's visit to Beijing was a prelude to the Solomon Islands' switch of diplomatic ties to China, Tien said the foreign ministry has considered such a possibility.
"We'll prepare for the worst, but it is still too early to speculate on relations between the two countries," Tien said.
"Everything is contingent upon subsequent developments," said Joseph Shih (
Chang offered two interpretations regarding the fact that the country's foreign minister is probably visiting Beijing while the prime minister claimed that ties between the two countries remained stable.
"Maybe the foreign minister and the prime minister hold conflicting views over the issue. Or, the two are simply playing a two-man show, with the hope of squeezing more financial aid out of Taiwan," Chang said.
Chang urged Taipei to cut diplomatic ties with the Solomon Islands "which is greedy and switches back between Taiwan and China seeking aid."
Chang said the Solomon Islands has sought US$150 million from Taiwan as the condition for continuing diplomatic ties, but the size of the aid was not accepted by the ministry. Both sides so far have failed to agree on the size of the financial aid. Beijing has offered to grant US$120 million to lure the country to drop Taipei and recognize Beijing, Chang added.
Tien said continued financial assistance to the war-torn state is likely, but it should not exceed what Taiwan can afford. "As a foreign minister, I am also responsible for watching over the government's purse," Tien said.
Ministry officials said Taiwan will not be "blackmailed" by the Solomon Islands if Beijing lures the South Pacific state into its fold with dollar diplomacy.
Sources from the Solomon Islands said the political situation was very much on the brink, with political tensions among rival factions that have simmered over the last two years now coming to a boil.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS