Amid protests from China, Vice President Annette Lu (
It was the first high-level meeting between Taipei and the Holy See since the Pope in October expressed the Holy See's wishes to establish dialogue channels between the Vatican and China -- a remark that has sparked speculation that ties between Beijing and the Holy See will be normalized.
According to a press release issued by Taiwan's embassy in the Vatican, Lu and her entourage reached Rome yesterday morning before heading for the Vatican for a formal visit.
Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, secretary for relations with states, as well as Celestino Migliore, under-secretary for relations with states, welcomed the Taiwanese delegation, according to the press release. "Vice President Lu expressed her appreciation to Tauran for taking time out to welcome her and her entourage on a holiday," the statement said.
Yesterday was St. Joseph's Day, a religious holiday for the Holy See, during which Pope John Paul II and other high-ranking Vatican officials host solemn celebrations and normally do not receive guests as a rule, sources said.
Lu and Tauran discussed mat-ters of mutual interest between the Vatican and Taiwan, and agreed to strengthen cooperation for the realization of ideals shared by both sides, such as the protection of human rights and freedom of religion, the statement said.
Aside from meeting Tauran at his official residence, Lu and the delegation also visited St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope's gardens and other religious sites yesterday, accompanied by Taiwan's ambassador to the Vatican, Raymond Tai (
Taiwan's foreign ministry has stressed that ties between Taiwan and the Vatican remain "firm," adding that Beijing and the Vatican have been poles apart on the issue of religious freedom -- an apparent impediment to the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two sides.
Lu's predecessor Lien Chan (
Lu and the delegation stayed in Italy last night before heading to Budapest, Hungary, for the 51st Congress of the Liberal International, a loose network of liberal parties from 67 countries, slated to be held from tomorrow through Saturday.
China yesterday accused Lu of attempting to "split China" and escalating cross-strait tensions by visiting Italy and Hungary.
China's embassy in Rome has lodged protests with the Italian government for issuing a visa to Lu, sources said.
Lu's trip to Hungary for the meeting is the first time in 30 years that a Taiwanese vice president has officially led a delegation to Europe for an international conference, sources said.
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
RSS