Vice President Annette Lu (
Lu's China Airlines flight landed at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta international airport at 1pm local time yesterday even as government officials continued to deny that the vice president was on a clandestine trip to Indonesia.
But China's strong opposition to her Jakarta visit disrupted Lu's plan to visit the Indonesian capital for two days before heading to Bali and possibly Australia, sources said.
PHOTO: TONY YAO, TAIPEI TIMES
"To my knowledge, Chinese officials lodged a stark protest to at least three Indonesian ministers [in regards to Lu's visit]," said Lin Shui-chi (
After spending two hours in the VIP lounge at Jakarta's international airport, Lu flew on to the resort island of Bali.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (
"I don't consider it a setback," Kau said of what happened in Jakarta. "This arrangement [of flying to Bali] is one of our strategic options," he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kong Quan (
Kong also warned Indonesia not to have any dealings with Lu lest it run the risk of jeopardizing Beijing-Jakarta ties.
In a press release yesterday the Indonesian foreign ministry stressed that the government had no advance knowledge of Lu's arrival in Jakarta, while reiterating the country's long-standing "one China" policy.
"The government of Indonesia has not in any way arranged for the visit of Lu Hsiu-lien, certainly not in her supposed capacity as vice president of an entity that names itself Republic of China," said a statement issued by the Indonesian foreign ministry.
The statement also said that the Indonesian government had not arranged the visit and that no officials would meet with Lu while she visits Bali as a private citizen.
"We have no plans for a meeting between President Megawati Sukarnoputri and the Taiwanese vice president, either in an official or unofficial capacity,'' Indonesian presidential spokesman Garibaldi Sudjatmiko said yesterday.
Some Taiwanese officials said it would be unlikely that Lu would have the opportunity to go on to Australia. Lu reportedly wanted to make the trip for medical treatment for a bad back.
"China has recently offered Australia a multibillion contract for purchasing liquefied natural gas from Australia for over the next 20 years, the largest single order Australia has secured in recent years," said a foreign ministry official, who declined to be named.
Chang Jung-feng (張榮豐), deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council, said that "Taiwan is not a normal country to a certain extent," as it faces constant constraints from China with regards to the country's external relations.
"To avoid China's moves to suppress us, we need to do everything we can to conceal many of our diplomatic efforts," Chang said.
Presidential Office Spokesman James Huang (
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
HOTEL HIRING: An official said that hoteliers could begin hiring migrant workers next year, but must adhere to a rule requiring a NT$2,000 salary hike for Taiwanese The government is to allow the hospitality industry to recruit mid-level migrant workers for housekeeping and three other lines of work after the Executive Yuan yesterday approved a proposal by the Ministry of Labor. A shortage of workers at hotels and accommodation facilities was discussed at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. A 2023 survey conducted by the Tourism Administration found that Taiwan’s lodging industry was short of about 6,600 housekeeping and cleaning workers, the agency said in a report to the committee. The shortage of workers in the industry is being studied, the report said. Hotel and Lodging Division Deputy Director Cheng
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
RSS