Raymond Tai (戴瑞明), Taiwan's ambassador to the Holy See, has decided to reconsider his resignation after speaking with Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) on Thursday, Chien said yesterday.
"Through our hard efforts to keep him in the post ... he said he would reconsider," Chien said.
The foreign minister confirmed on Thursday that Tai submitted his resignation to the ministry earlier this week.
Tai's move took the local press by surprise as it was made public soon after first lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) returned from what officials described as a "successful" trip to Europe, which included a stop-over in the Vatican.
Chien denied media speculation that Tai's intention to resign was related to the first lady's trip to Europe.
"It's not the first time that Ambassador Tai has sought to resign. He has attempted to resign several times in the past. He simply said he's done his job and it's time for him to hand over his position to the younger generation," Chien said.
The 69-year-old ambassador was not available for comment yesterday when contacted by telephone.
Presidential Office spokesman James Huang (
David Lin (
"It was arranged by Tai and the Holy See for the first lady's delegation to be photographed with the pope. Ambassador Tai made a great achievement [in arranging Wu's trip], so we definitely want to try to keep him," Lin said.
Before becoming ambassador, Tai had been director of the KMT's Cultural Affairs Department and spokesperson and deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office.
Meanwhile, the foreign minister hosted a swearing-in ceremony for several new appointees yesterday afternoon.
Shen Su-tsun (沈斯淳), director-general of the ministry's Department of West Asian Affairs, was sworn in as the country's top representative to the Czech Republic.
Lin Ching-lien (
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
Tropical Storm Nari is not a threat to Taiwan, based on its positioning and trajectory, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Nari has strengthened from a tropical depression that was positioned south of Japan, it said. The eye of the storm is about 2,100km east of Taipei, with a north-northeast trajectory moving toward the eastern seaboard of Japan, CWA data showed. Based on its current path, the storm would not affect Taiwan, the agency said.
The cosponsors of a new US sanctions package targeting Russia on Thursday briefed European allies and Ukraine on the legislation and said the legislation would also have a deterrent effect on China and curb its ambitions regarding Taiwan. The bill backed by US senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal calls for a 500 percent tariff on goods imported from countries that buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports — targeting nations such as China and India, which account for about 70 percent of Russia’s energy trade, the bankroll of much of its war effort. Graham and Blumenthal told The Associated Press
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