President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) trip to Pope John Paul II's funeral is an unprecedented opportunity for Taiwan's president to stand alongside other state leaders on the world stage at an international event, political analysts said.
"Chen's visit to the Vatican is a great diplomatic breakthrough for Taiwan," said Ruan Ming (阮銘), an adviser at the Taiwan Research Institute's strategic and international studies department.
"Despite China's incessant hostility [and attempts] to squeeze Taiwan's breathing space in the international community, a president from Taiwan is able to, for the first time, set foot on European soil," Ruan said.
Not only Chen was the first sitting president from Taiwan to make a trip to Europe, his attendance at the pope's funeral today marks the first time that a president from Taiwan has been able to visit the Holy See since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1942 between the two countries, political commentators said.
Noting the approximately 200 state and religious leaders, including US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan are expected to take part in the papal ceremony to pay their final tribute to the late Pope, Ruan said, "Chen's attendance at the papal ceremony not only allows Chen a rare chance to meet with heads of state, it also provides an opportunity to enhance Taiwan's visibility on the world stage. Against the backdrop of China's enactment of the `Anti-Secession' Law, Chen's visit could help bring Taiwan's plight to light in the international community," he said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Su Chi (蘇起) hailed the trip as well, saying it will be one of Chen's most important overseas trips as president.
Thomas Hung (洪茂雄), a graduate research fellow in international relations at National Chengchi University said the visit suggested that Chen had a keen diplomatic sense, in that he was able to seize the opportunity to make the trip a reality. Hung noted that during the Cold War era, "funeral diplomacy" was a common practice among western countries.
"The funerals of heads of state offer a rare opportunity for world leaders to come together and meet one another as they pay last respects at the passing of a leader," Hung said. "One classic example of `funeral diplomacy,' Hung said, was the funeral of German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, which brought together US President Lyndon B. Johnson and his French counterpart Charles de Gaulle a venue to converse despite a grudge between them.
"China's failure to send a representative to Pope John Paul II's funeral [to protest Chen's presence] is a diplomatic slap in its own face," Hung said. "This would not go unnoticed by members of the international community," Hung said, adding that "China's conduct at time like this when the whole international community is paying tribute to the Pope ... exposes its evil nature to the world."
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to