A US veto of a visit to the Marshall Islands by a fleet of Taiwanese Navy vessels has angered officials here who said yesterday that the US was violating the country's sovereignty.
Invoking its defense veto power under the Compact of Free Association for the first time since it was implemented in 1986, the US State Department informed Marshall Islands' officials that the visit of three Taiwan naval cadet training vessels scheduled for May would not be permitted.
US Ambassador to the Marshalls Michael Senko said that sensitive US relations with China would not be helped by a port visit of Taiwanese naval vessels.
But Marshalls foreign minister Alvin Jacklick said he was taking up the issue directly with Senko because there is "no security issue or risk involved in a friendly ship visit to the Marshalls."
"As of now, everything is proceeding as planned for the visit," said Andrew Chang (
"We are the guest and the Marshall Islands government is the host. The issue should be sorted out between the Marshall Islands government and the US government. It's inconvenient for us to make any comment now," Chang added.
Ambassador to the Marshall Islands Liu Fu-tien (劉富添) said yesterday that he did not receive notification from the the Marshall Islands government calling for changes to the planned visit.
Liu added that the Marshalls government has so far indicated that it welcomed the proposed visit.
Stressing that he has not been informed of any changes to the formally agreed visit, Liu said that it would be inappropriate for Taiwan to intervene in how the US and the Marshall Islands choose to coordinate with each other on the issue.
The spokesmen for Taiwan's Ministry of Defense and the Navy General Headquarters remained tight-lipped over the issue and other details of the journey.
LANDMARK: Taiwan and Haiti are set to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, the president said, adding that the two would deepen bilateral ties President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday pledged continued support for Haiti, particularly in food aid and healthcare, as the Caribbean nation faces ongoing social and economic challenges. Speaking at a meeting with Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Victor Harvel Jean-Baptiste, Lai said Taiwan would step up bilateral cooperation to help improve Haiti’s social infrastructure. Taiwan would continue supporting Haiti through initiatives aimed at improving healthcare, food security and overall development, he said. Taiwan and Haiti are set to mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, the president said, adding that the two nations would continue to support each other and deepen bilateral
MONTHS OF WORK: The core mission of Taiwan’s negotiators is to safeguard the national interest, public health and food security, President William Lai said Taiwan is still hoping to reach a deal with the US in ongoing tariff talks after it was not among the first batch of 14 nations to receive tariff notification letters. The US issued its first batch of tariff notification letters on Monday, but Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) yesterday confirmed that Taiwan has yet to receive one. Vice Premier Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君) and Minister Without Portfolio Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮), who lead the Office of Trade Negotiations, are in the US negotiating the tariff issue, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The US in early April announced sweeping tariffs on imported goods, including
The New York Yankees are to host Taiwanese Heritage Day for the first time this year, the event’s organizer announced on Monday. The annual event, which has been held nearly every year since 2005, has often been hosted by the New York Mets at Citi Field, but this year it would be hosted by the New York Yankees on Sept. 10 at Yankee Stadium, organizer ROF International Sport Marketing wrote on social media. The event, which is being co-organized by the Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce of North America (TCCNA), is one of many cultural events hosted by the Yankees, the announcement said,
‘A SERIOUS THREAT’: Japan has expressed grave concern over the Strait’s security over the years, which demonstrated Tokyo’s firm support for peace in the area, an official said China’s military drills around Taiwan are “incompatible” with peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya said during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi (王毅) on Thursday. “Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is important for the international community, including Japan,” Iwaya told Wang during a meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings in Kuala Lumpur. “China’s large-scale military drills around Taiwan are incompatible with this,” a statement released by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday cited Iwaya as saying. The Foreign Ministers’ Meetings are a series of diplomatic
RSS