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 (
Indonesia has sent hundreds of riot police to a tiny island after protests broke out against a China-backed project that would displace thousands of residents. About 1,000 people protested in Batam City on Monday over a plan to develop Rempang island into a Chinese-funded economic zone, including the construction of a multibillion-dollar glass factory, that would displace about 7,500 people. Some protesters clashed with security forces outside a government agency, wielding machetes, Molotov cocktails and stones, police said, adding that dozens were arrested. Beijing has poured money into infrastructure and resource projects in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy and its investments have previously caused
‘HARASSMENT’: A record 103 Chinese warplanes were detected in 24 hours, posing severe challenges to security in the Taiwan Strait and the region, the ministry said Taiwan yesterday told China to stop its “destructive unilateral actions” after more than 100 Chinese warplanes and nine navy ships were detected in areas around the nation. The Ministry of National Defense (MND) described the number of warplanes detected in 24 hours as a “recent high,” while Beijing has so far refrained from issuing any official comment on the sorties. “Between the morning of September 17th to 18th, the Ministry of National Defense had detected a total of 103 Chinese aircraft, which was a recent high and has posed severe challenges to the security across the Taiwan Strait and in the region,”
China would be making “a grave strategic mistake” if it tried to attack Taiwan, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said in an interview with CNN that aired on Sunday. Asked by host Fareed Zakaria whether the US could repel a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, Milley said: “It is entirely possible.” Milley reiterated that the US still maintains the Taiwan Relations Act, and that it wants “a peaceful outcome between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China, and whatever that is between those two peoples.” “Militarily, I think China would make a grave strategic mistake if they attempted to
CALL FOR PEACE: Czech President Petr Pavel raised concerns about China’s military maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait and its ‘unfriendly action’ in the South China Sea The leaders of three diplomatic allies — Guatemala, Paraguay and Palau — on Tuesday voiced support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN on the first day of the UN General Debate in New York. In his address during the 78th UN General Assembly, Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr urged the UN and all parties involved in cross-strait issues to exercise restraint and seek a peaceful resolution. “The well-being and prosperity of nations and their economies are intrinsically linked to global peace and stability,” he said. He also thanked partner nations such as Taiwan, Australia, Japan and the US for providing assistance
RSS