Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Hung-mao (
"High-ranking Chinese leaders have conducted state visits rather frequently lately. Faced with this scenario, leaders in Taiwan can't just stay at home and never leave the country," Tien said at yesterday's press conference.
"If there is an opportunity, high-ranking officials should make state visits overseas."
Immediately after the new year, China's Vice President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan (唐家璇) and National People's Congress Chairman Li Peng (李鵬) visited a total of 12 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia.
In response, analysts said Taiwan should be aware that China was attempting to counter the US' superpower status and curb support for Taiwan.
Reflecting on the past eight months since he took over as foreign minister, Tien said that Beijing's attempts to corner Taiwan internationally were increasing.
"Every evening I have been taking home reports and telegrams from overseas offices, only to get the feeling that China's suppression is deepening and is in no way diminishing," the foreign minister said.
When asked by the Taipei Times whether China's obstruction caused the delayed inauguration of Taipei's economic and cultural office in Egypt, and Cairo's trade office in Taiwan, Tien said, "There was indeed some pressure from the mainland side," while adding that related work was still underway.
Tien announced on Dec. 8 that Taipei and Cairo had agreed to set up economic and cultural offices on a reciprocal basis by the end of last year, after having cut diplomatic ties for 44 years.
Because Egypt has been a major strategic partner of China in the Arab and African world, analysts have looked on the agreement between Taipei and Cairo as having great significance in diplomatic terms.
But. to date, the foreign ministry has not announced the inauguration date for these offices.
While China's self-confidence is growing, Taiwan's diplomatic space in the international arena is increasingly challenged, Tien said.
"We must stand in combat-readiness (
Meanwhile, Tien also stressed that Taiwan should strengthen ties with the US under the new president-elect George W. Bush and seek what he termed a "high level of mutual trust and interaction" between the two sides.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work