Taiwan has struck a deal with Ivory Coast to reopen its representative office there, after the mission became inactive in 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, confirming foreign media reports.
The Ivory Coast-based news site La Diplomatique d’Abidjan broke the story on Friday in a report saying that the two countries’ officials had reached an agreement for Taiwan’s mission to be opened in Abidjan, the economic capital of the West African country.
The mission’s reactivation would be a boon to Ivory Coast’s economy, the report said.
Photo: Reuters
The ministry said that the two countries had earlier in the day signed an agreement in which the Taiwan mission would immediately resume operations to facilitate bilateral trade and personnel exchanges.
With an area of 320,000 km2, Ivory Coast has a population of nearly 26 million people.
Its economy is also the fastest-growing in Africa, with GDP growth of 7.4 percent in 2017 and 6.9 percent in 2018, the ministry said, citing World Bank data.
It is rich in natural resources, including cocoa, coffee, oil and gold, making the country a springboard for Taiwanese business ventures throughout the region, the ministry said.
Taiwan and Ivory Coast have complementary economies, and significant economic benefits could be had if the two countries collaborate in manufacturing, agriculture, auto parts production, construction and logistics, it said.
The trade talks resulting in the Taiwanese mission’s return began when a delegation from Taiwan arrived in the West African country three days ago, La Diplomatique d’Abidjan reported.
The delegation included Taiwanese officials and 10 business leaders who held a series of talks with Ivorian entrepreneurs on possible cooperation in the areas of infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, and goods and services, the report said.
Taiwan is interested in bolstering economic ties with Ivory Coast in all kinds of industries, the outlet cited Sun Chieh-fu (孫杰夫), deputy director of the New Taipei City-based Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association, as saying.
Ivorian businesses are heartened by the reopening of the Taiwan representative office and look forward to collaborating in the areas of tourism, telecommunications, manufacturing, finances and human resources, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Ivory Coast chairman Famaman Toure said.
WHEELING AND DEALING? Hou You-yi, Ko Wen-je, Eric Chu and Ma Ying-jeou are under investigation for allegedly offering bribes for the other side to drop out of the race Taipei prosecutors have started an investigation into allegations that four top politicians involved in attempts to form a “blue-white” presidential ticket have contravened election regulations. Listed as defendants are Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲). The case stemmed from judicial complaints filed last month with the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office alleging that the KMT (blue) and the TPP (white) had engaged in bribery by offering money or other enticements
EXPOSED: Some Taipei wardens reported joining the trips out of peer pressure, while others said they were relieved it was made public so they could refuse, a city councilor said Nearly 30 percent of Taipei borough wardens have joined group tours to China that were partially funded by the Chinese government, leading prosecutors probing potential Chinese interference in January’s elections to question local officials, an investigation showed. Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City councilors Chien Shu-pei (簡舒培) and Chen E-jun (陳怡君) have reported cases of Taipei borough wardens inviting residents to join inexpensive privately organized group tours to China that were partially funded by the Chinese government. The six-day trips reportedly cost NT$10,000 to NT$15,000, the councilors said. An investigation by the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) showed that nearly 30 percent
ELIGIBLE FOR JANUARY: All presidential candidates and their running mates meet the requirements to run for office, and none hold dual citizenship, the CEC said Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator and vice presidential candidate Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) is working with the Central Election Commission (CEC) to resolve issues with her financial disclosure statement, a spokesman for the candidate said yesterday, after the commission published the statements of all three presidential candidates and their running mates, while confirming their eligibility to run in the Jan. 13 election. Wu’s office spokesman, Chen Yu-cheng (陳宥丞), said the candidate encountered unforeseen difficulties disclosing her husband’s finances due to being suddenly thrust into the campaign. She is also the first vice presidential nominee to have a foreign spouse, complicating the reporting of
GOOD NEWS: Although open civic spaces are shrinking in Asia-Pacific countries and territories, Taiwan’s openness is a positive sign, an expert said Taiwan remains the only country in Asia with an “open” civic space for the fifth consecutive year, the Civicus Monitor said in a report released yesterday. The People Power Under Attack 2023 report named Taiwan as one of only 37 open countries or territories out of 198 globally, and the only one in Asia. Compiled by Civicus — a global alliance of civil society organizations dedicated to bolstering civil action — the ranking compiled annually since 2017 measures the state of freedom of association, peaceful assembly and expression around the world. Researchers assign each country or territory one of five rankings describing the
RSS