Officials from Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) confirmed the upcoming visit of Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso after the presidential election this month.
Moscoso's scheduled trip follows the opening of the first Taiwan-sponsored cooperative farms there last month.
"President Moscoso has long expressed her wish to visit Taiwan and it is almost certain that she will be here at the end of March or beginning of April," said David Hu (
Moscoso was to visit Taiwan shortly after her electoral victory in May last year, but the trip was delayed twice due to Cabinet appointments and other political problems.
The visit by the then vice president-elect Arturo Vallarino to China last August sparked a wave of speculation that the new administration was on the verge of severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
During his visit to Panama last November, Taiwan's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jason Hu (
The Panamanian president had promised to improve the livelihoods of Panama's impoverished farmers -- which make up the core of her constituency -- by setting up 3,000 farms within five years.
Taiwan also offered to provide technical knowledge concerning the implementation of agriculture reforms.
The first of these farms was opened in the mountainous region of Herrera, a province in northeastern Panama.
The three hectares of land will be tended by 144 people from 24 families, according to reports.
David Hu also said that there have been no visible signs that Beijing is leveraging on its commercial interest in the Panama Canal to interfere with Panama-Taiwan ties.
With the handover of the canal to Panama last December, conservative elements in US Congress railed against the possibility of Chinese influence over the waterway through Hutchinson Whampoa, Ltd.
The Hong Kong-based multinational won the concession in 1997 to run ports strategically located at either end of the canal.
"We have no information indicating that Beijing is using the company to damage [Taiwan's] bilateral ties with Panama," he said.
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
RULES BROKEN: The MAC warned Chinese not to say anything that would be harmful to the autonomous status of Taiwan or undermine its sovereignty A Chinese couple accused of disrupting a pro-democracy event in Taipei organized by Hong Kong residents has been deported, the National Immigration Agency said in a statement yesterday afternoon. A Chinese man, surnamed Yao (姚), and his wife were escorted by immigration officials to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where they boarded a flight to China before noon yesterday, the agency said. The agency said that it had annulled the couple’s entry permits, citing alleged contraventions of the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入台灣地區許可辦法). The couple applied to visit a family member in
CELEBRATION: The PRC turned 75 on Oct. 1, but the Republic of China is older. The PRC could never be the homeland of the people of the ROC, Lai said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) could not be the “motherland” of the people of the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks in a speech at a Double Ten National Day gala in Taipei, which is part of National Day celebrations that are to culminate in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on Thursday night next week. Lai wished the country a happy birthday and called on attendees to enjoy the performances and activities while keeping in mind that the ROC is a sovereign and independent nation. He appealed for everyone to always love their
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