Vice President Annette Lu's (呂秀蓮) overseas trip took a U-turn yesterday as she secured entry into the Indonesian capital of Jakarta and met with congressmen in the evening after having met two Indonesian ministers in the Indonesian resort of Bali.
A close aide to the vice president said Lu's flight from Bali early yesterday afternoon, as well as her subsequent landing at a Jakarta air base, plus her meetings with congressmen in the evening had been arranged long ago.
Lu, who told reporters in Bali yesterday that she would be "gone with the wind" when asked to clarify her next stop, boarded a chartered plane early yesterday afternoon which later landed at a Jakarta air base.
The Indonesian media said that Lu entered Jakarta from the air base by car, accompanied by plainclothes presidential guard escorts.
"This indicates the preferential treatment [Indonesian officials have given her]," said Peter Cheng (鄭博久), director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affair's department of Asian and Pacific affairs.
Lu and her entourage checked in at the Darmawangsa Hotel in Jakarta, before meeting with Indonesian congressmen in the evening, a source in Jakarta told the Taipei Times.
Meanwhile, a senior Indonesian official said yesterday that two Indonesian ministers had also held talks with Lu on Thursday on the resort island of Bali.
Indonesian Labor Minister Jacob Nua Wea met with Lu on Thursday evening to discuss the status of the estimated 97,000 Indonesian workers in Taiwan, said the official, who declined to be named.
Environmental Minister Nabiel Makarim also met with Lu, the official said, explaining the two were friends during their studies at Harvard University.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda reiterated on Friday Indonesia's adherence to its "one China" policy and said no government officials would meet Lu.
Lu arrived in Jakarta on Wednesday afternoon where she was denied entry into the capital. She then flew to Bali in what officials called "vacation diplomacy."
Lu and other government officials had been tight-lipped about where Lu was headed after Bali, although Lu had said on Thursday that she might go to the Philippines' Subic Bay or Australia.
But a presidential office source told the Taipei Times that those remarks could have been an attempt by Lu to distract Beijing.
A Taiwanese businessman based in Subic Bay said he hadn't heard anything about Lu visiting the area.
"I have never heard that she was supposed to come to Subic Bay today," Hsing Sheng-tao (邢聲濤), secretary-general of the Taiwanese Businessmen Association in Subic Bay, told the Taipei Times.
Meanwhile, Agung Laksono, a youth minister during the administration of former Indonesian president Suharto, said Lu would head for Australia on Sunday.
But Australian officials said they had not yet received any request for a visa from Lu.
Laksono said he and some business executives had had a "friendly and private" visit with Lu after her Jakarta arrival, adding that some politicians would also see her during her stay.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College