Uruguay’s decision to halt visa-free entry for Taiwanese from Wednesday was due to pressure from Beijing, a source said yesterday.
The announcement by Uruguay, which ended diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1988, was unexpected, the source said.
Chinese General Administration of Customs Minister Ni Yue-feng (倪岳峰) on Monday visited Uruguay, where he reportedly met with Uruguayan Minister of Foreign Affairs Rodolfo Nin Novoa as the two nations celebrated the 30th anniversary of formal diplomatic ties, the source said.
Photo: CNA
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei yesterday cited technical issues for Uruguay’s decision.
Uruguay halted the preferential treatment for Taiwanese because its online e-visa application system is still being developed, the ministry said.
Until further notice, Taiwanese would have to apply for a visa at the Uruguayan embassy in Japan, ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said.
The ministry said that it would continue to approach the Uruguayan government and strive to have the relevant procedures completed as soon as possible so that Taiwanese could again enjoy the convenience of visa-free entry into Uruguay.
Uruguay began offering visa-free entry for up to 90 days on Oct. 19, making it the 169th nation at the time to offer Taiwanese preferential visa treatment.
The ministry had previously said that visa-free access was granted due to steps taken by the Taipei Commercial and Cultural Office in Argentina, which also handles Uruguayan affairs.
Additional reporting by CNA
MILITARY BOOST: The procurement was planned after Washington recommended that Taiwan increase its stock of air defense missiles, a defense official said yesterday Taiwan is planning to order an additional four PAC-3 MSE systems and up to 500 missiles in response to an increasing number of missile sites on China’s east coast, a defense official said yesterday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the proposed order would be placed using the defense procurement special budget, adding that about NT$1 trillion (US$32,88 billion) has been allocated for the budget. The proposed acquisition would include launchers, missiles, and a lower tier air and missile defense radar system, they said The procurement was planned after the US military recommended that Taiwan increase
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
RSS